What does “hito” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “hito” to mean ‘person’ or ‘another person’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail with its kanji expressions. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “hito” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definitions and meanings of “hito”
“Hito” has two different kanji expressions. And its meaning can vary depending on the kanji expression used. Let me explain them one by one.
- hito – 人 (ひと) : a noun meaning ‘person’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural to mean ‘people’. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- hito – 他人 (ひと) : a noun meaning ‘another person’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural to mean ‘others’.
The definitions and meanings are not that difficult, I think. To understand these two nouns more clearly, however, let me explain the kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Hito in kanji
The following two kanji characters are used in the kanji expressions of “hito”:
- 人 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘person’ or ‘people’ in Japanese.
- 他 : a kanji character often used as a prefix to add the meaning of ‘different’, ‘other’, ‘else’, or such to its following words.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “人” literally means ‘person’ and that “他人” literally means ‘different person’. These literal interpretations seem to be completely in line with the actual meanings.
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 the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “hito” through the detailed check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “hito” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “person” in Japanese
kanojo no kareshi wa subarashii hito desu – 彼女の彼氏は素晴らしい人です (かのじょのかれしはすばらしいひとです)
Her boyfriend is a wonderful person.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ 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 “kanojo” to make its possessive case, “kanojo no”, which means ‘her’ in Japanese.
- kareshi – 彼氏 (かれし) : a noun meaning ‘boyfriend’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo no kareshi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- subarashii – 素晴らしい (すばらしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘wonderful’ or such in Japanese.
- 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 “subarashii” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “hito”. In this example, it works together with “subarashii” to say “a wonderful person” in Japanese. When we want to say “person” or “people” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “hito”
boku wa itsumo hito no iken wo kika nai – 僕はいつも他人の意見を聞かない (ぼくはいつもひとのいけんをきかない)
I always don’t listen to others’ opinions.
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.
- itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
- iken – 意見 (いけん) : a noun meaning ‘opinion’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “hito no iken” to make the object in the sentence.
- kika – 聞か (きか) : one conjugation of the verb, “kiku”, which means ‘to listen’, ‘to hear’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Probably, this is well known as a part of the Japanese nai form. In the example, this is used after “kika” to deny its meaning, ‘to listen’.
This is a typical usage of this type of “hito”. In this example, it works as a part of the longer noun phrase, “hito no iken”, which literally means ‘others’ opinions’ in Japanese. When we want to mean ‘others’ or ‘another person’ in Japanese, this kanji expression is very useful.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “hito” in detail with its kanji expressions. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- hito – 人 (ひと) : a noun meaning ‘person’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural to mean ‘people’. This kanji character literally means ‘person’ or ‘people’.
- hito – 他人 (ひと) : a noun meaning ‘another person’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural to mean ‘others’. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘different person’. This literal interpretation seems to be completely in line with the actual meaning.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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