Shiawase is a Japanese word for ‘happiness’, explained

What does “shiawase” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers use shiawase to mean ‘happiness’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I’m explaining this word in detail together with its kanji expressions. And also, I’m explaining how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand shiawase more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “shiawase”
• Shiawase in kanji
  • How to say “happiness” in Japanese
  • Another example of “shiawase”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “shiawase”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of shiawase.

• shiawase – 幸せ/仕合わせ (しあわせ) : a noun meaning ‘happiness’ in Japanese.

This noun has two different kanji expressions. Japanese native speakers normally use the first one. Japanese learners can therefore focus on it in many cases. The second one can refer to happiness too, but sometimes it refers to something good which happens by chance. So, its meaning can sometimes be more like ‘serendipity’ in Japanese.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain the second kanji expression in detail.

Shiawase in kanji

The second kanji expression of shiawase contains the following two kanji characters:

• 仕 : a kanji character used to refer to the act of serving, supporting, or just doing.
• 合 : a kanji character used to refer to the act of matching or fitting.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that shiawase literally means ‘doing and matching’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. When something we are doing matches something else by chance, it can be called serendipity and it is a kind of happiness.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of shiawase through the detailed kanji check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of shiawase together with its kanji expressions. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

How to say “happiness” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after kanojo to make the subject in the sentence.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after shiawase to make the object in the sentence.
• mitsuke – 見つけ (みつけ) : one conjugation of the verb, mitsukeru, which means ‘to find’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, masu, which is used after a verb to make it sound polite. In the example, this is used after mitsuke to make it sound polite.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after mitsuke mashi to make its past tense form, mitsuke mashi ta.

This is a typical usage of shiawase. In this example, it works together with the case particle, wo, to become the object in the sentence.

Another example of “shiawase”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, the first no is used after kanojo to make its possessive case, kanojo no, which means ‘her’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after kanojo no shiawase to make the subject in the sentence.
• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after watashi to make its plural form, watashi tachi, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• no – の : the same as explained above. The second no is used after watashi tachi to make its possessive case, watashi tachi no, which means ‘our’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of the Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after watashi tachi no shiawase to make it sound polite.

This is another example of shiawase. In this example, it works together with the possessive cases to mean ‘her happiness’ and ‘our happiness’ in Japanese. When we want to mean ‘happiness’ in Japanese, anyway, shiawase is always a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of shiawase in detail together with its kanji expressions. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• shiawase – 幸せ/仕合わせ (しあわせ) : a noun meaning ‘happiness’ in Japanese. Japanese native speakers normally use the first kanji expression. Japanese learners can therefore focus on it in many cases. The second one can refer to happiness too, but sometimes it refers to something good which happens by chance. So, its meaning can sometimes be more like ‘serendipity’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.