What does “itazura” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “itazura” often to mean ‘prank’ 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 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’ or ‘trick’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to small but bad things which especially kids do.
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.
What does “itazura” literally mean in Japanese?
The kanji expression of “itazura” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 悪 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘bad’ or ‘evil’ in Japanese.
- 戯 : a kanji character used to mean ‘play’ or ‘joke’ in Japanese.
These two kanji characters tell us that “itazura” literally means a ‘bad play’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. In Japanese, pranks are often considered as bad plays.
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 “itazura” through the detailed kanji check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “itazura” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “pranks” in Japanese
boku wa kanojo no itazura ga suki desu – 僕は彼女の悪戯が好きです (ぼくはかのじょのいたずらがすきです)
I love her 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.
- 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.
- 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 “kanojo no itazura” to make the object in the sentence.
- 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’.
- 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, “kanojo no itazura”, which means ‘her 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 used to refer to something close to the speaker. In the example, this is used to mean ‘this’ in Japanese.
- unmei – 運命 (うんめい) : a noun meaning ‘fate’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works 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 commonly-used phrase, “unmei no itazura”, which literally means a ‘trick of fate’ in Japanese. When we want to mean a ‘prank’ or ‘trick’ in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a very 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’ or ‘trick’ in Japanese. Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to small but bad things which especially kids do. These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘bad play’ in Japanese. This literal interpretations is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. In Japanese, pranks are often considered as bad plays.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
