What does “hikouki” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “hikouki” to mean ‘airplane’ in Japanese. Very simple, I think. In this blog post, however, I will explain its definition and meanings 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 “hikouki” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “hikouki”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “hikouki”.
- hikouki – 飛行機 (ひこうき) : a noun meaning ‘airplane’, ‘aeroplane’, or ‘aircraft’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to airplanes in Japanese. It’s also worth mentioning, however, that this can refer to flights depending on the situation and context.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
“Hikouki” in kanji
The kanji expression of “hikouki” consists of the following three characters:
- 飛 : a kanji character often used to express the act of flying.
- 行 : a kanji character often used to express the act of going.
- 機 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘machine’, ‘machines’, ‘machinery’, or such.
From these three kanji characters, we can understand that “hikouki” literally means ‘a machine to fly and go with’. This literal interpretation seems to be completely in line with the meanings. Actually, airplanes are machines to fly and go with.
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 “hikouki” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “hikouki” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “airplane” in Japanese
watashi tachi wa hikouki de tokyo made iku – 私達は飛行機で東京まで行く (わたしたちはひこうきでとうきょうまでいく)
We will go to Tokyo by airplane.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- 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.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- de – で : a case particle used to indicate a means to do something. In the example, this is used after “hikouki” to indicate the means which “watashi tachi” use to go to Tokyo.
- tokyo – 東京 (とうきょう) : a noun meaning ‘Tokyo’ in Japanese.
- made – まで : an adverbial particle used to indicate a destination. In the example, this is used after “tokyo” to indicate the destination.
- iku – 行く (いく) : a verb meaning ‘to go’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “hikouki”. In the example, it works together with “de” to indicate the means which “watashi tachi” use to go to Tokyo. The phrase, “hikouki de”, is quite often translated into English as ‘by airplane’ or just ‘by plane’, so it’s worth knowing.
Example #2: another usage of “hikouki”
hikouki ga yure te iru – 飛行機が揺れている (ひこうきがゆれている)
The airplane is shaking.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- 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 “hikouki” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- yure – 揺れ (ゆれ) : one conjugation of the verb, “yureru”, which means ‘to shake’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “yure” to make its te form, “yure te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
- iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by the preceding verb. In the example, this is used after the te-formed verb, “yure te”, to express the continuity of the action, ‘to shake’.
This is another typical usage of “hikouki”. When we want to say “airplane” in Japanese, this noun is the best choice.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “hikouki” 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.
- hikouki – 飛行機 (ひこうき) : a noun meaning ‘airplane’, ‘aeroplane’, or ‘aircraft’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Native speakers use this noun to refer to airplanes in Japanese. It’s also worth mentioning, however, that this can refer to flights depending on the situation and context. These three kanji characters literally mean ‘a machine to fly and go with’. This concept seems to be in line with the meanings.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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