Ikizama is the Japanese word for ‘way of life’, explained

What does “ikizama” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “ikizama” to mean ‘way of life’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “ikizama” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “ikizama”
• What does “ikizama” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “way of life” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “ikizama”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “ikizama”

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

• ikizama – 生き様 (いきざま) : a noun meaning ‘way of life’ in Japanese.

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

What does “ikizama” literally mean in Japanese?

“Ikizama” consists of the following two components:

• iki – 生き (いき) : one conjugation of the verb, “ikiru”, which means ‘to live’ in Japanese.
• zama – 様 (ざま) : sometimes used to say how someone does something.

From these two components, we can understand that the formed noun literally means ‘how someone lives’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. The way of life can often be considered as the way someone lives.

When we meet new Japanese words, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about the meanings of the words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “ikizama” through the detailed check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “ikizama” together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “way of life” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kore – これ : a pronoun used to refer to something close to the speaker. In the example, this is used to mean ‘this’ in Japanese.
• 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 “kore” to make the subject in the 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.
• 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 “kanojo no ikizama” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “ikizama”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence.

Example #2: another usage of “ikizama”

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.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• anata – あなた : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with “no” to mean ‘your’ in Japanese.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of “suki” to emphasize its meaning.
• suki – 好き (すき) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to love’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “ikizama”. In this example, it works as a part of the object, “anata no ikizama”, which means ‘your way of life’ in Japanese. When we want to refer to someone’s way of life in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “ikizama” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• ikizama – 生き様 (いきざま) : a noun meaning ‘way of life’ in Japanese. This consists of “iki” and “zama”. These two components literally mean ‘how someone lives’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. The way of life can often be considered as the way someone lives.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.