What does “itazura” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “itazura” to mean ‘prank’, ‘trick’, or ‘mischief’ 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 “itazura” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “itazura”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “itazura”.
- itazura – 悪戯 (いたずら) : a noun meaning ‘prank’, ‘trick’, or ‘mischief’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to a small, but bad thing someone does. It is often harmless. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to those of the English ones above, I think.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Itazura in kanji
The kanji expression of “itazura” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 悪 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘bad’ in Japanese.
- 戯 : a kanji character used to mean ‘play’, ‘joke’, ‘jest’, or such in Japanese.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “itazura” literally means a ‘bad joke’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. A prank can often be considered as a bad joke.
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 “itazura” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “itazura” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “pranks” in Japanese
boku wa kare no itazura ga suki desu – 僕は彼の悪戯が好きです (ぼくはかれのいたずらがすきです)
I love his pranks.
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.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ 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 “kare” to make its possessive case, “kare no”, which means ‘his’ 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 “kare no itazura” to make the object in the sentence.
- suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation 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, actually, this is used to mean ‘to love’.
- 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 “suki” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “itazura”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “kare no itazura”, to say “his pranks” in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “itazura”
kore wa unmei no itazura desu – これは運命の悪戯です (これはうんめいのいたずらです)
This is a trick of fate.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kore – これ : a demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘this’ or ‘it’ in Japanese.
- unmei – 運命 (うんめい) : a noun meaning ‘fate’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “unmei” and “itazura”. The formed phrase literally means a ‘trick of fate’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is very similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
This is another typical usage of “itazura”. In this example, it works as a part of the idiomatic expression, “unmei no itazura”, which literally means a ‘trick of fate’ in Japanese. When we want to say “prank”, “trick”, or “mischief” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “itazura” 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.
- itazura – 悪戯 (いたずら) : a noun meaning ‘prank’, ‘trick’, or ‘mischief’ in Japanese. Native speakers use this to refer to a small, but bad thing someone does. It is often harmless. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to those of the English ones above. These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘bad joke’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. A prank can often be considered as a bad joke.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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