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!

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.

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

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.

Example #2: another usage of “kenkou”

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.