How to say “earth” in Japanese
Japanese native speakers would say “chikyū”. It is the Japanese word for ‘the earth’. In this blog post, 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 “chikyū” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “chikyū”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “chikyū”.
- chikyū – 地球 (ちきゅう) : a noun meaning ‘the earth’ in Japanese.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
“Chikyū” in kanji
The kanji expression of “chikyū” consists of the following two characters:
- 地 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘land’ or ‘ground’.
- 球 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘sphere’, ‘ball’, or ‘globe’.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “chikyū” means ‘sphere shaped land’. This kanji concept seems to be completely in line with the meaning. Only those who think the earth is flat cannot accept this, I think.
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 “chikyū” through the detailed kanji check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “earth” in Japanese
watashi wa chikyū wa marui to omoi masu – 私は地球は丸いと思います (わたしはちきゅうはまるいとおもいます)
I think that the earth is round.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- wa – は : the same as explained above. The second one is, however, used after “chikyū” to make the subject word in a quote clause.
- marui – 丸い (まるい) : an i-adjective meaning ’round’, ‘circular’, or ‘spherical’ in Japanese. In the example, this works as a complement in the quote to describe “chikyū”.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this is used after the clause, “chikyū wa marui”, to indicate a quote.
- omoi – 思い (おもい) : one conjugation of the verb, “omou”, which means ‘to think’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the batter connection with its following word.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “omoi” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “chikyū”. When we want to say “the earth” in Japanese, this word is the best choice.
Example #2: how to say “the earth is flat” in Japanese
iie, watashi tachi wa chikyū wa tairada to omoi masu – いいえ、私達は地球は平らだと思います (いいえ、わたしたちはちきゅうはたいらだとおもいます)
No, we think that the earth is flat.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- iie – いいえ : an interjection working as a negative answer to a question. This corresponds really well to the English adverb, “no”.
- 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. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- tairada – 平らだ (たいらだ) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “tairana”, which means ‘flat’ in Japanese.
- to – と : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, this is used after the clause, “chikyū wa tairada”, to indicate a quote.
This is another typical usage of “chikyū”. In this example, it works as a part of the expression, “chikyū wa tairada”, which means ‘the earth is flat’ in Japanese. Those who still believe that the earth is flat can use this expression conveniently, I think.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “chikyū” 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.
- chikyū – 地球 (ちきゅう) : a noun meaning ‘the earth’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters mean ‘sphere shaped land’. This concept seems to be completely in line with the meaning.
- chikyū wa marui – 地球は丸い (ちきゅうはまるい) : a Japanese expression for ‘the earth is round’.
- chikyū wa tairada – 地球は平らだ (ちきゅうはたいらだ) : a Japanese expression for ‘the earth is flat’.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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