Butterfly in Japanese: chou, explained based on its kanji expression

How to say “butterfly” in Japanese

Japanese people would say “chou”. It is the Japanese word for “butterfly”. Very simple, I think. 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. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “chou”
• Kanji components of “chou”
  • Example #1: how to say “butterfly” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “chou”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “chou”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “chou”.

• chou – 蝶 (ちょう) : a noun meaning ‘butterfly’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Its definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji character in detail.

Kanji components of “chou”

Below are the kanji components used in “chou”.

• 虫 : a kanji character used to mean ‘bug’ or ‘insect’.
• 枼 : a kanji character used as a metaphor for something thin, especially a leaf.

From these two components, we can understand that the kanji character of ‘butterfly’ literally means ‘a bug similar to a leaf’. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meaning, but seems to be a good metaphor.

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 “chou” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “chou” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “butterfly” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kouen – 公園 (こうえん) : a noun meaning ‘park’ in Japanese.
• de – で : a case particle used to indicate a place where something happens. In the example, this is used after “kouen” to say where “I” saw the butterfly.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “chou” to make the object word in the sentence.
• mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru”, which means ‘to see’, ‘to watch’, ‘to look’, 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 “chou”. When we want to say ‘butterfly’ or ‘butterflies’ in Japanese, this word would be the best choice.

Example #2: another usage of “chou”

Below are the new words used in the example 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 “chou” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• hana – 花 (はな) : a noun meaning ‘flower’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to indicate a place which someone or something is in or at. In the example, this is used after “hana” to say where the butterfly perches.
• tomat – とまっ : one conjugation of the verb, “tomaru”, which means ‘to stay’, ‘to sit’, or just ‘to be’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “tomat” to make its te form, “tomat te”. Verbs need to be conjugated to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
• iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by its preceding verb. In the example, this is used after the te-formed verb, “tomat te”, to express the continuity of its action, ‘to sit’.

This is another typical usage of “chou”. “Tomat te iru” is an expression widely applied for birds and bugs, which means ‘to perch on [something]’. In this example, it is used to say ‘a butterfly perches on a flower’ in Japanese.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the word, “chou”, 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.

• chou – 蝶 (ちょう) : a noun meaning ‘butterfly’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. This kanji character literally means ‘a bug similar to a leaf’. This is a good metaphor for a butterfly.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.