What does “ippai” mean in Japanese?
Japanese native speakers say “ippai” to mean ‘a cup’, ‘a glass’, or such in Japanese. They also use it to mean ‘a lot’, ‘many’, ‘much’, or such. In this blog post, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression and origin. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand the concept behind this word. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “ippai”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “ippai”.
- ippai – いっぱい : an adverb meaning ‘much’, ‘many’, ‘fully’, or ‘a lot’ in Japanese.
Japanese native speakers more often use “ippai” as an adverb. They use it to express a large amount or number. Normally, they write it in hiragana, but it has a kanji expression as well. To understand this word more clearly, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
“Ippai” in kanji
The kanji expression of “ippai” consists of the following two characters:
- 一 : a kanji character widely used as a numeral meaning ‘one’ in Japanese.
- 杯 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘cup’ or ‘glass’ in Japanese.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “ippai” literally means ‘one cup’. And actually, it is. The adverb, “ippai”, was derived from the noun which means ‘one cup’. Let me explain this noun as follows.
- ippai – 一杯 (いっぱい) : a noun meaning ‘a cup’ or ‘a glass’ in Japanese.
Then, the question naturally arises: how did this noun come to mean ‘much’, ‘many’, or ‘a lot’? To tell the truth, I cannot answer this question because the reason is not completely clear. But, there is a promising assumption. Let me explain it.
Change from a noun to an adverb
In the past, Japanese people used “ippai” as a noun to mean a cup. And the function of cups was contain something to drink. This function, however, was gradually extended. Finally, people started to use cups to measure liquid. The easiest way to measure liquid by a cup is use the cup as one division of a scale, in other words, fill the cup with the liquid. In accordance with this extension, the meaning of “ippai” was also stretched. People started to use the word to refer to a cup full of something and use it as an expression for ‘full’. This is how the noun, “ippai”, came to express a large amount or number in Japanese.
Then, let me explain how to use “ippai” as an adverb through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “much” in Japanese
kare wa okane wo ippai mot te iru – 彼はお金をいっぱい持っている (かれはおかねをいっぱいもっている)
He has much money.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after “kare” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- okane – お金 (おかね) : a noun meaning ‘money’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “okane” to make the object word in the sentence.
- mot – 持っ (もっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “motsu”, which means ‘to have’ 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 “mot” to make its te form. 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 “mot te” to express the continuity of its action, ‘to have’.
This is a typical usage of “ippai”. In this example, it expresses a large amount of money. When we want to say “much” in Japanese, “ippai” is a good option.
Example #2: another usage of “ippai”
gakkou ni gakusei ga ippai iru – 学校に学生がいっぱいいる (がっこうにがくせいがいっぱいいる)
There are many students at the school.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to indicate a particular place in which someone or something is. In the example, this is used after “gakkou” to say where the students are.
- gakusei – 学生 (がくせい) : a noun meaning ‘student’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- 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 “gakusei” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- iru – いる : a verb meaning ‘to be’ or ‘to present’ in Japanese. This is widely used to express the presence of a person or people.
This is another typical usage of “ippai”. In the example, it expresses a large number of people. When we want to express a large amount or number in Japanese, “ippai” would be a very good choice, regardless of whether the noun is countable or uncountable.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “ippai” in detail based on its kanji expression and origin. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- ippai – いっぱい : an adverb meaning ‘much’, ‘many’, ‘fully’, or ‘a lot’ in Japanese. This word can express a large amount or number regardless of whether the noun is countable or uncountable.
- ippai – 一杯 (いっぱい) : a noun meaning ‘a cup’ or ‘a glass’ in Japanese. This is the origin of the adverb. In the past, Japanese people started to use “ippai” to mean a cup full of something and also to express ‘full’.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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