What does “asagao” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “asagao” to mean ‘morning glory’ 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 will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “asagao” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “asagao”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “asagao”.
- asagao – 朝顔 (あさがお) : a noun meaning ‘morning glory’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to trumpet-shaped flowers which open in the morning.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
What does “asagao” literally mean in Japanese?
The kanji expression of “asagao” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 朝 : a kanji character used to mean ‘morning’ in Japanese.
- 顔 : a kanji character used to mean ‘face’ in Japanese.
These two kanji characters tell us that “asagao” literally means a ‘morning face’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. The flowers of morning glories open in the morning and therefore can be described as the morning faces of the plants.
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 “asagao” through the detailed kanji check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “asagao” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “morning glories” in Japanese
asagao wa watashi no sukina hana desu – 朝顔は私の好きな花です (あさがおはわたしのすきなはなです)
Morning glories are my favorite flowers.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “asagao” to make the subject in the sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- sukina – 好きな (すきな) : a na-adjective meaning ‘favorite’ in Japanese.
- hana – 花 (はな) : a noun meaning ‘flower’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- 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 Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after the noun phrase, “watashi no sukina hana”, to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “asagao”. In the example, it works together with the binding particle, “wa”, to become the subject in the sentence.
Example #2: another usage of “asagao”
asagao no hana wa asa ni hiraku – 朝顔の花は朝に開く (あさがおのはなはあさにひらく)
The flowers of morning glories open in the morning.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “asagao” and “hana”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the flowers of morning glories’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
- asa – 朝 (あさ) : the same as used in “asagao”. This is a noun meaning ‘morning’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say when someone does something. In the example, this is used after “asa” to say “in the morning” in Japanese.
- hiraku – 開く (ひらく) : a verb meaning ‘to open’ in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “asagao”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “asagao no hana”, which means ‘the flowers of morning glories’ in Japanese. When we want to say “morning glory” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “asagao” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- asagao – 朝顔 (あさがお) : a noun meaning ‘morning glory’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to trumpet-shaped flowers which open in the morning. These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘morning face’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. The flowers of morning glories open in the morning and therefore can be described as the morning faces of the plants.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
