What does “tengoku” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “tengoku” to mean ‘heaven’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. 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 “tengoku” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “tengoku”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “tengoku”.
- tengoku – 天国 (てんごく) : a noun meaning ‘heaven’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to the place where God lives or the place where they go after they die. So, its usage is very similar to that of the English noun, “heaven”, I think.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Tengoku in kanji
The kanji expression of “tengoku” consists of the following two characters:
- 天 : a kanji character used to mean ‘sky’.
- 国 : a kanji character used to mean ‘country’.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “tengoku” literally means ‘the sky country’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. Heaven is widely believed to be the place in or above the sky.
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 “tengoku” through the detailed kanji check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “heaven” in Japanese
boku tachi wa tengoku wo shinjiru – 僕達は天国を信じる (ぼくたちはてんごくをしんじる)
We believe in heaven.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its plural form, “boku tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “tengoku” to make the object in the sentence.
- shinjiru – 信じる (しんじる) : a verb meaning ‘to believe’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “tengoku”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “tengoku wo shinjiru”, which means ‘to believe in heaven’ in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “tengoku”
koko ga tengoku desu ka – ここが天国ですか (ここがてんごくですか)
Is this heaven?
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- koko – ここ : a demonstrative pronoun used to refer to a place very close to the speaker. In the example, this is used to mean ‘this’.
- 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 “koko” to make the subject in the sentence.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “tengoku” to make it sound polite.
- ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to make the question. This is often used with the pitch raised.
This is another typical usage of “tengoku”. When we want to say “heaven” in Japanese, this word would be the best option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “tengoku” 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.
- tengoku – 天国 (てんごく) : a noun meaning ‘heaven’ in Japanese. Native speakers use this to refer to the place where God lives or the place where they go after they die. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to that of the English one, “heaven”, I think. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘the sky country’. Heaven is widely believed to be the place in or above the sky, so this kanji concept is very close to the meaning.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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