How to say “autumn” in Japanese
Japanese people would say “aki”. It is the Japanese word for ‘autumn’ or ‘fall’. Very simple, I think. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to say “autumn” properly in Japanese. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “aki”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “aki”.
- aki – 秋 (あき) : a noun meaning ‘autumn’ or ‘fall’ in Japanese.
Grammatically this is a noun. In reality, however, it is often used as an adverb and inserted almost anywhere in a sentence to say “in autumn” in Japanese. So, “aki” can work as both a noun and an adverb. This is a kind of trait of Japanese time-related nouns. Other than this word, actually, many time-related nouns can also work as adverbs. Perhaps, this sounds a bit weird to Japanese learners, but the same trait can be found among English time-related nouns. For example, “tomorrow” can work as both a noun and an adverb. So, Japanese learners, especially those who are familiar with English, can easily understand this point, I think.
Then, let me explain how to use “aki” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “autumn” in Japanese
watashi wa aki ga suki desu – 私は秋が好きです (わたしはあきがすきです)
I like autumn.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- 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 “aki” to make the object word in the sentence.
- suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this like an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In this example, actually, it works to mean ‘to like’.
- 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 “suki” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “aki”. In this example, it works as a noun to say “autumn” in Japanese. When we want to say “autumn” in Japanese, it is the best choice.
Next, then, let me explain how to use “aki” as a part of an adverb phrase.
Example #2: how to say “this autumn” in Japanese
kotoshi no aki watashi wa kyoto ni iki masu – 今年の秋私は京都に行きます (ことしのあきわたしはきょうとにいきます)
This autumn, I will go to Kyoto.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kotoshi – 今年 (ことし) : a noun meaning ‘this year’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb to say “this year” in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally the preceding noun can work as a modifier to describe the following noun. In the example, this is used to join “kotoshi” and “aki”. The formed phrase works as an adverb phrase in the example to say “this autumn” in Japanese.
- kyoto – 京都 (きょうと) : a name of one of the most famous Japanese cities. This is a noun.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “kyoto” to say where “watashi” will go this autumn.
- iki – 行き (いき) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku”, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “iki” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “aki”. In this example, it works as a part of the adverb phrase, “kotoshi no aki”. Native speakers often use this phrase to say “this autumn” in Japanese. It’s worth knowing.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “aki” with the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- aki – 秋 (あき) : a noun meaning ‘autumn’ or ‘fall’ in Japanese. Grammatically this is a noun, but can also be used as an adverb and inserted almost anywhere in a sentence to say “in autumn” in Japanese.
- kotoshi no aki – 今年の秋 (ことしのあき) : a commonly-used phrase meaning ‘this autumn’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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