What does “chikai” mean in Japanese?
There are homophones, but native speakers say “chikai” normally to mean ‘close’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “chikai” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “chikai”
- Chikakunai: the nai form of “chikai”
- Chikakatta: the ta form of “chikai”
- Chikakute: the te form of “chikai”
- Chikakereba: the ba form of “chikai”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “chikai”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “chikai”.
- chikai – 近い (ちかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘close’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this i-adjective normally to mean ‘close in distance’ or ‘close in time’ in Japanese.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “close” in Japanese
boku no ie wa gakkou ni chikai – 僕の家は学校に近い (ぼくのいえはがっこうにちかい)
My house is close to the school.
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.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its possessive case, “boku no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- ie – 家 (いえ) : a noun meaning ‘house’ or ‘home’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku no ie” to make the subject in the sentence.
- gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- ni – に : a case particle used to indicate the object to which something is directed. In the example, this is used after “gakkou” to indicate the object to which the house is close.
This is a typical usage of “chikai”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. It’s worth knowing.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “chikai” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “chikakunai”.
Chikakunai: the nai form of “chikai”
Below are the definition and meaning of “chikakunai”.
- chikakunai – 近くない (ちかくない) : the nai form of “chikai”, which means ‘not close’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “chikakunai” consists of the following two parts:
- chikaku – 近く (ちかく) : one conjugation of “chikai”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “chikakunai” is literally the nai form of “chikai” and means ‘not close’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not close” in Japanese
watashi tachi no ie wa gakkou ni chikakunai – 私達の家は学校に近くない (わたしたちのいえはがっこうにちかくない)
Our house is not close to the school.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its plural form, “watashi tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “chikakunai”. When we want to mean ‘not close’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Chikakatta: the ta form of “chikai”
Below are the definition and meanings of “chikakatta”.
- chikakatta – 近かった (ちかかった) : the ta form of “chikai”, which means ‘was close’, ‘were close’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “chikakatta” consists of the following two parts:
- chikakat – 近かっ (ちかかっ) : one conjugation of “chikai”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “chikakatta” is literally the ta form of “chikai” and means ‘was close’, ‘were close’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “was close” in Japanese
kanojo no ie wa umi ni chikakatta – 彼女の家は海に近かった (かのじょのいえはうみにちかかった)
Her house was close to the sea.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with the case particle, “no”, to say “her” in Japanese.
- umi – 海 (うみ) : a noun meaning ‘sea’ or ‘ocean’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “chikakatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “chikai”, this ta form is the best option.
Chikakute: the te form of “chikai”
Below are the definition and meaning of “chikakute”.
- chikakute – 近くて (ちかくて) : the te form of “chikai”, which means ‘close’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “chikakute” consists of the following two parts:
- chikaku – 近く (ちかく) : one conjugation of “chikai”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “chikakute” is literally the te form of “chikai”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “chikakute” is very useful when we want to use “chikai” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “close and” in Japanese
yume wa chikakute tōi – 夢は近くて遠い (ゆめはちかくてとおい)
Our dreams are close and far.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- yume – 夢 (ゆめ) : a noun meaning ‘dream’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- tōi – 遠い (とおい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘far’ or ‘distant’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “chikakute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “tōi”. When we want to use “chikai” in front of another adjective like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Chikakereba: the ba form of “chikai”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “chikakereba”.
- chikakereba – 近ければ (ちかければ) : the ba form of “chikai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘close’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “chikakereba” consists of the following two parts:
- chikakere – 近けれ (ちかけれ) : one conjugation of “chikai”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “chikakereba” is literally the ba form of “chikai”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “chikakereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘close’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “if close” in Japanese
ie ga umi ni chikakereba, nami no oto ga kikoeru – 家が海に近ければ、波の音が聞こえる (いえがうみにちかければ、なみのおとがきこえる)
If the house is close to the sea, we can hear the sounds of the waves.
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, the first “ga” is used after “ie” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
- nami – 波 (なみ) : a noun meaning ‘wave’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- 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 “nami” and “oto”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the sounds of the waves’ 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”.
- oto – 音 (おと) : a noun meaning ‘sound’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- ga – が : the same as explained above. The second “ga” is used after “nami no oto” to make the subject in the second clause.
- kikoeru – 聞こえる (きこえる) : a verb meaning ‘to hear’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “chikakereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “ie ga umi ni chikakereba”, which means ‘if the house is close to the sea’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘close’, this ba form is a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “chikai” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- chikai – 近い (ちかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘close’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
- chikakunai – 近くない (ちかくない) : the nai form of “chikai”, which means ‘not close’ in Japanese.
- chikakatta – 近かった (ちかかった) : the ta form of “chikai”, which means ‘was close’, ‘were close’, or such in Japanese.
- chikakute – 近くて (ちかくて) : the te form of “chikai”, which means ‘close’ in Japanese. When we want to use “chikai” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- chikakereba – 近ければ (ちかければ) : the ba form of “chikai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘close’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
