What does “hazukashii” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers would say “hazukashii” to mean ’embarrassed’ or ’embarrassing’ in Japanese. In this blog post, I will explain this word with an example sentence. And also, I will explain its major conjugations that native speakers often use. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “hazukashii” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “hazukashii”
- Nai form of “hazukashii”
- Ta form of “hazukashii”
- Te form of “hazukashii”
- Ba form of “hazukashii”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “hazukashii”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “hazukashii”.
- hazukashii – 恥ずかしい (はずかしい) : an i-adjective meaning ’embarrassed’ or ’embarrassing’ in Japanese. Its meaning can vary depending on the subject word used together.
This i-adjective was derived from the noun, “haji”, which means ‘shame’ in Japanese. So, this word is suitable to describe a feeling of shame. Then, let me explain how to use this through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “embarrassed” in Japanese
watashi wa totemo hazukashii – 私はとても恥ずかしい (わたしはとてもはずかしい)
I’m so embarrassed.
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.
- totemo – とても : an adverb of degree, meaning ‘so’, ‘very’, ‘much’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this emphasizes the meaning of “hazukashii”.
This is a typical usage of “hazukashii”. In the example, it describes the feeling of shame which “watashi” has. Like this, when we want to describe a feeling of shame or embarrassment in Japanese, this i-adjective is a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained “hazukashii” 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 “hazukashikunai”.
Nai form of “hazukashii”
Below are the definition and meanings of “hazukashikunai”.
- hazukashikunai – 恥ずかしくない (はずかしくない) : the nai form of “hazukashii”, meaning ‘not embarrassed’ or ‘not embarrassing’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hazukashikunai” consists of the following two parts:
- hazukashiku – 恥ずかしく (はずかしく) : one conjugation of “hazukashii”. 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 components, we can understand that “hazukashikunai” is literally the nai form of “hazukashii” and means ‘not embarrassed’ or ‘not embarrassing’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not embarrassed” in Japanese
watashi wa hazukashikunai – 私は恥ずかしくない (わたしははずかしくない)
I’m not embarrassed.
This is a typical usage of “hazukashikunai”. When we want to say “not embarrassed” in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Ta form of “hazukashii”
Below are the definition and meanings of “hazukashikatta”.
- hazukashikatta – 恥ずかしかった (はずかしかった) : the ta form of “hazukashii”, meaning ‘was embarrassed’, ‘was embarrassing’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hazukashikatta” consists of the following two parts:
- hazukashikat – 恥ずかしかっ (はずかしかっ) : one conjugation of “hazukashii”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ta form.
From these two components, we can understand that “hazukashikatta” is literally the ta form of “hazukashii”. In Japanese, ta forms of words can work as their past tense forms. So, we can use “hazukashikatta” to mean ‘was embarrassed’, ‘was embarrassing’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “was embarrassed” in Japanese
watashi wa kinou totemo hazukashikatta – 私は昨日とても恥ずかしかった (わたしはきのうとてもはずかしかった)
I was so embarrassed yesterday.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “hazukashikatta”. When we want to say “was embarrassed” in Japanese, this ta form is a good option.
Te form of “hazukashii”
Below are the definition and meanings of “hazukashikute”.
- hazukashikute – 恥ずかしくて (はずかしくて) : the te form of “hazukashii”, meaning ’embarrassed’ or ’embarrassing’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hazukashikute” consists of the following two parts:
- hazukashiku – 恥ずかしく (はずかしく) : one conjugation of “hazukashii”. 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 components, we can understand that “hazukashikute” is literally the te form of “hazukashii”. In Japanese, te forms of words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. Actually, “hazukashikute” is very useful when we want to use “hazukashii” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “embarrassed and” in Japanese
watashi wa totemo hazukashikute mittomonai – 私はとても恥ずかしくてみっともない (わたしはとてもはずかしくてみっともない)
I’m so embarrassed and ashamed.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- mittomonai – みっともない : an i-adjective meaning ‘ashamed’, ’embarrassed’, or such in Japanese. This adjective originally came from the meaning of ‘not worth seeing’. So, it focuses more on appearance.
This is a typical usage of “hazukashikute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “mittomonai”. Like this, when we want to use “hazukashii” before another adjective with a smooth connection, this te form is useful.
Ba form of “hazukashii”
Below are the definition and meanings of “hazukashikereba”.
- hazukashikereba – 恥ずかしければ (はずかしければ) : the ba form of “hazukashii”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ’embarrassed’ or ’embarrassing’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hazukashikereba” consists of the following two parts:
- hazukashikere – 恥ずかしけれ (はずかしけれ) : one conjugation of “hazukashii”. 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 components, we can understand that “hazukashikereba” is literally the ba form of “hazukashii”. In Japanese, ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “hazukashikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ’embarrassed’ or ’embarrassing’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “if embarrassed” in Japanese
hazukashikereba motto benkyou shi te kudasai – 恥ずかしければもっと勉強してください (はずかしければもっとべんきょうしてください)
If you feel embarrassed, please study hard.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- motto – もっと : an adverb meaning ‘more’, ‘further’, or such in Japanese.
- benkyou shi – 勉強し (べんきょうし) : one conjugation of “benkyou suru” which means ‘to study’ or ‘to learn’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : the same as used in “hazukashikute”. In this example, this is used after “benkyou shi” to make its te form, “benkyou shi te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
- kudasai – ください : the command form of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, it can work as an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’ to the preceding verb. In the example, this follows “benkyou shi te” and works as an auxiliary verb.
This is a typical usage of “hazukashikereba”. In the example, it works as a conditional clause which means ‘if you feel embarrassed’. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ’embarrassed’ or ’embarrassing’ in Japanese, this ba form is very useful.
The Japanese sentence above doesn’t contain any subject word, but this can happen quite often. Japanese people omit the subject word in a sentence when they can understand it from the context and situation.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “hazukashii” and its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- hazukashii – 恥ずかしい (はずかしい) : an i-adjective meaning ’embarrassed’ or ’embarrassing’ in Japanese. Its meaning can vary depending on the subject word used together. This was derived from the noun, “haji”, which means ‘shame’ in Japanese. So, this word is suitable to describe a feeling of shame.
- hazukashikunai – 恥ずかしくない (はずかしくない) : the nai form of “hazukashii”, meaning ‘not embarrassed’ or ‘not embarrassing’ in Japanese.
- hazukashikatta – 恥ずかしかった (はずかしかった) : the ta form of “hazukashii”, meaning ‘was embarrassed’, ‘was embarrassing’, or such in Japanese. This is the past tense form of “hazukashii”.
- hazukashikute – 恥ずかしくて (はずかしくて) : the te form of “hazukashii”, meaning ’embarrassed’ or ’embarrassing’ in Japanese. When we want to use “hazukashii” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection, this te form is useful.
- hazukashikereba – 恥ずかしければ (はずかしければ) : the ba form of “hazukashii”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ’embarrassed’ or ’embarrassing’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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