What does “chikara” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “chikara” to mean ‘power’, ‘strength’, or ‘ability’ in Japanese. I think that many Japanese learners know this word because it is quite often used in Japanese movies, songs, manga, anime, and so on. In this blog post, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand its usages more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “chikara”
Let me start with the definition and meanings as follows:
- chikara – 力 (ちから) : a noun meaning ‘power’, ‘strength’, or ‘ability’ in Japanese.
Its definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this noun through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “power” in Japanese
kare wa chikara ga aru – 彼は力がある (かれはちからがある)
He has power.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works as a topic marker to put a focus on “kare”.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this works to make the subject word in the sentence.
- aru – ある : a verb meaning ‘to be’, ‘to exist’, or ‘to present’ in Japanese. In the example, this works to express the existence of kare’s power.
This is a typical usage. “Chikara ga aru” used in this example is a commonly-used expression meaning ‘to have power’ in Japanese. Japanese people often use this expression, so it’s worth knowing, I think.
The meaning and nuance of the Japanese sentence above is more like ‘for him, there is power’, but often translated just as ‘he has power’.
Example #2: another usage of “chikara”
watashi wa chikara ga nai – 私は力がない (わたしはちからがない)
I don’t have power.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- nai – ない : an i-adjective meaning ‘not to be’, ‘not to exist’, or ‘not to present’ in Japanese. In the example, this works to deny the existence of watashi’s power.
This is another typical usage. “Chikara ga nai” used in this example is a commonly-used expression meaning ‘not to have power’ in Japanese. This should be learnt together with the affirmative expression used in the last example.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “chikara” and how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows:
- chikara – 力 (ちから) : a noun meaning ‘power’, ‘strength’, or ‘ability’ in Japanese.
- chikara ga aru – 力がある (ちからがある) : a commonly-used expression meaning ‘to have power’ in Japanese.
- chikara ga nai – 力がない (ちからがない) : a commonly-used expression meaning ‘not to have power’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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