What does “benkyou” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “benkyou” to mean ‘study’, ‘hard work’, or ‘discount’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word as it is quite often used in Japanese textbooks. 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 to understand “benkyou” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of benkyou
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “benkyou”.
- benkyou – 勉強 (べんきょう) : a noun meaning ‘study’ in Japanese. This word can also mean ‘hard work’ or ‘discount’ depending on the situation and context.
Its grammatical definition is simple: it’s just a noun. Perhaps, however, its meanings are confusing to Japanese learners. Especially, ‘discount’ doesn’t seem to be related to the other two meanings. To understand this noun more clearly, therefore, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Benkyou in kanji
The kanji expression of “benkyou” consists of the following two characters:
- 勉 : a kanji character widely used in Japanese words related to ‘effort’.
- 強 : a kanji character widely used in Japanese words related to ‘strength’. This can also mean ‘to force someone to do something’. This kanji character can be found in other words like “tsuyoi“.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “benkyou” literally means ‘to force someone to make an effort’. This kanji concept is highly related to the original concept of this noun. In the old Japanese language, ‘study’ was considered as something that people were forced to do – they did not want to do voluntarily. This idea is very understandable and relatable even today, I think.
The other two meanings than ‘study’ are also completely in line with the original concept. Normally, people do not want to do these two things: ‘hard work’ and ‘discount (as sellers)’. Only when they are forced to do, they do. So, all the meanings are completely in line with the kanji concept.
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 meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “benkyou” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “benkyou” through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “I like studying” in Japanese
boku wa benkyou ga suki desu – 僕は勉強が好きです (ぼくはべんきょうがすきです)
I like studying.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject 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 “benkyou” to make the object 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 as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’. In the example, this is used 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 “benkyou”. In the example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “benkyou ga suki”, which means ‘to like studying’ in Japanese. It has been translated as ‘studying’. In the Japanese sentence, however, it works as a noun and the original meaning is more like ‘I like study’.
Benkyou suru: the verb form
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “benkyou” in detail based on its kanji expression. Next, let me explain its verb form.
- benkyou suru – 勉強する (べんきょうする) : a verb meaning ‘to study’ in Japanese. This can also mean ‘to discount’ depending on the situation and context.
“Suru” is added. Normally, it works as a verb to mean ‘to do’ or ‘to perform’ in Japanese. When it follows a noun, however, it can work to make the verb form of the preceding noun. In this case, therefore, it can work to make the verb form of “benkyou”.
Then, let me explain how to use this verb form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to use “benkyou suru”
watashi wa tokidoki nihongo wo benkyou suru – 私は時々日本語を勉強する (わたしはときどきにほんごをべんきょうする)
I sometimes study Japanese.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
- nihongo – 日本語 (にほんご) : a noun meaning ‘Japanese’ or ‘the Japanese language’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “nihongo” to make the object word in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “benkyou suru”. In this example, it means ‘to study’ in Japanese. This verb, however, can mean ‘to discount’ depending on the situation and context. So, we need to be careful with the words used together with it.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “benkyou” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained its verb form with the example sentence. Let me summarize them as follows.
- benkyou – 勉強 (べんきょう) : a noun meaning ‘study’ in Japanese. This word can also mean ‘hard work’ or ‘discount’ depending on the situation and context. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘to force someone to make an effort’. This is the original concept of this noun.
- benkyou suru – 勉強する (べんきょうする) : a verb meaning ‘to study’ in Japanese. This can also mean ‘to discount’ depending on the situation and context.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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