• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Japanese Particles Master

particles for perfection

  • Home
  • grammar
  • particles
  • nouns
  • verbs
  • adjectives
  • adverbs
  • translation
  • Author
Home » nouns » Kenkou is the Japanese word for ‘health’, explained

January 19, 2021 By Masaki Mori

Kenkou is the Japanese word for ‘health’, explained

What does “kenkou” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “kenkou” to mean ‘health’ 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 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 “kenkou” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Advertisements

Contents

  • Definition and meaning of “kenkou”
  • Kenkou in kanji
    • Example #1: how to say “health” in Japanese
    • Example #2: another usage of “kenkou”
  • Summary

Definition and meaning of “kenkou”

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

  • kenkou – 健康 (けんこう) : a noun meaning ‘health’ in Japanese.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to the physical and mental condition of someone in Japanese. So, its usage is similar to that of the English noun, “health”, I think.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Kenkou in kanji

The kanji expression of “kenkou” consists of the following two characters:

  • 健 : a kanji character used to mean ‘health of body’.
  • 康 : a kanji character used to mean ‘health of mind’.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “kenkou” literaly means ‘health of body and mind’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation seems to be completely in line with the meaning.

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 “kenkou” through the detailed kanji check above.

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

Advertisements

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

kokoro to karada no kenkou ga taisetsu desu – 心と体の健康が大切です (こころとからだのけんこうがたいせつです)

The health of mind and body is important.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

  • kokoro – 心 (こころ) : a noun meaning ‘mind’ in Japanese.
  • to – と : a case particle used to join two words to make a parallel expression. This is often translated into English as “and”. In the example, this is used to join “kokoro” and “karada”.
  • karada – 体 (からだ) : a noun meaning ‘body’ in Japanese.
  • no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns or noun equivalent words. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “kokoro to karada” and “kenkou”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the health of mind and body’ 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”.
  • 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 the noun phrase, “kokoro to karada no kenkou”, to make the subject in the sentence.
  • taisetsu – 大切 (たいせつ) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “taisetsuna”, which means ‘important’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
  • desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. In the example, this is used after “taisetsu” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “kenkou”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “kokoro to karada no kenkou”, which means ‘the health of mind and body’ in Japanese.

Advertisements

Example #2: another usage of “kenkou”

kare no kenkou ni mondai ga aru – 彼の健康に問題がある (かれのけんこうにもんだいがある)

He has a problem with his health.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

  • kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
  • no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “kare” to make its possessive case, “kare no”, which means ‘his’ in Japanese.
  • ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something is. In the example, this is used after “kare no kenkou” to say where the problem is.
  • mondai – 問題 (もんだい) : a noun meaning ‘problem’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
  • aru – ある : a verb used to express the existence of an inanimate thing. In the example, this is used to express the existence of the problem.

This is another typical usage of “kenkou”. The original meaning of the Japanese sentence is more like “the problem is in his health”, but it has been translated into English as “he has a problem with his health”. When we want to say “health” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “kenkou” 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.

  • kenkou – 健康 (けんこう) : a noun meaning ‘health’ in Japanese. Native speakers use this noun to refer to the physical and mental condition of someone in Japanese. So, the usage of this noun is similar to that of the English one, “health”, I think. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘health of body and mind’. This literal interpretation seems to be completely in line with the meaning.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.

  • Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit Share on Reddit
  • Share via Email Share via Email

Learn more vocabulary on the app!

You can improve your Japanese vocabulary with our flashcards.

Get it on Google Play
Advertisements

Filed Under: nouns

Primary Sidebar

Written by Masaki Mori

Engineer and industrial translator for more than ten years. I teach Japanese to spread the Japanese culture. I always try to explain every single new word so that Japanese learners can understand the correct meanings of example sentences. Read More…

Follow Me on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Learn more words by kanji groups

Kanji for bad Kanji for beauty Kanji for big Kanji for cat Kanji for child Kanji for day Kanji for devil Kanji for eye Kanji for fire Kanji for god Kanji for ground Kanji for hand Kanji for he Kanji for heart Kanji for heaven Kanji for mood Kanji for moon Kanji for mouth Kanji for night Kanji for now Kanji for one of a pair Kanji for person Kanji for rain Kanji for time Kanji for tree Kanji for week Kanji for what Kanji for woman Kanji for year

Check recent posts

  • Doubutsu is the Japanese word for ‘animal’, explained
  • Shachou is the Japanese word for ‘company president’, explained
  • Musou is the Japanese word for ‘unparalleled person’, explained
  • Densha is the Japanese word for ‘train’, explained
  • Kaizoku is the Japanese word for ‘pirate’, explained

Are you still looking for something?

Advertisements

Footer

Pages

  • Author
  • Privacy Policy

Categories

  • adjectives
  • adverbs
  • grammar
  • nouns
  • particles
  • translation
  • verbs
  • vocabulary

Written by Masaki Mori

Engineer and industrial translator for more than ten years. I teach Japanese to spread the Japanese culture. Read More…

Follow Me on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Feed

  • RSS

Copyright © 2017–2023 Japanese Particles Master All Rights Reserved.