What does “bakuhatsu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “bakuhatsu” to mean ‘explosion’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, video games, 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 “bakuhatsu” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “bakuhatsu”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “bakuhatsu”.
- bakuhatsu – 爆発 (ばくはつ) : a noun meaning ‘explosion’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers use this noun normally to refer to an explosion or explosions in Japanese. It’s also worth mentioning here that they sometimes use this as a metaphor for emotions, passions, and so on.
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.
Bakuhatsu in kanji
The kanji expression of “bakuhatsu” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 爆 : a kanji character used to express the act of bursting.
- 発 : a kanji character used to express the act of emitting.
These two kanji characters tell us that “bakuhatsu” literally means ‘bursting and emitting’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meaning.
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 “bakuhatsu” through the detailed kanji check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “bakuhatsu” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “explosion” in Japanese
ore wa bakuhatsu no hikari wo mi ta – 俺は爆発の光を見た (おれはばくはつのひかりをみた)
I saw the light of an explosion.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- ore – 俺 (おれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ rudely in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “ore” to make the subject in the 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 “bakuhatsu” and “hikari”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the light of an explosion’ 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”.
- hikari – 光 (ひかり) : a noun meaning ‘light’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle making the object word in a sentence. In the example, this works after “bakuhatsu no hikari” to make the object in the sentence.
- mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru“, which means ‘to see’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- 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 “mi” to make its past tense form, “mi ta”.
This is a typical usage of “bakuhatsu”. In the example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “bakuhatsu no hikari”, which means ‘the light of an explosion’ in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “bakuhatsu”
bakuhatsu wa totemo chiisakat ta – 爆発はとても小さかった (ばくはつはとてもちいさかった)
The explosion was very small.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese.
- chiisakat – 小さかっ (ちいさかっ) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “chiisai“, which means ‘small’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
This is another typical usage of “bakuhatsu”. When we want to say “explosion” in Japanese, this noun is always a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “bakuhatsu” 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.
- bakuhatsu – 爆発 (ばくはつ) : a noun meaning ‘explosion’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘bursting and emitting’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meaning. It’s also worth mentioning here that Japanese native speakers sometimes use this noun as a metaphor for emotions, passions, and so on.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
