What does “iwau” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “iwau” to mean ‘to celebrate’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “iwau” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “iwau”
- Iwawanai: the nai form of “iwau”
- Iwaou: the volitional form of “iwau”
- Iwaimasu: the masu form of “iwau”
- Iwatta: the ta form of “iwau”
- Iwatte: the te form of “iwau”
- Iwaeba: the ba form of “iwau”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “iwau”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “iwau”.
- iwau – 祝う (いわう) : a verb meaning ‘to celebrate’ in Japanese.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “celebrate” in Japanese
boku wa maitoshi kanojo no tanjoubi wo iwau – 僕は毎年彼女の誕生日を祝う (ぼくはまいとしかのじょのたんじょうびをいわう)
I celebrate her birthday every year.
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.
- maitoshi – 毎年 (まいとし) : a noun meaning ‘every year’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to say “every year” in Japanese.
- 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.
- tanjoubi – 誕生日 (たんじょうび) : a noun meaning ‘birthday’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo no tanjoubi” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “iwau”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to celebrate’ in Japanese, this verb is a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “iwau” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “iwawanai”.
Iwawanai: the nai form of “iwau”
Below are the definition and meaning of “iwawanai”.
- iwawanai – 祝わない (いわわない) : the nai form of “iwau”, which means ‘not to celebrate’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “iwawanai” consists of the following two parts:
- iwawa – 祝わ (いわわ) : one conjugation of “iwau”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “iwawanai” is literally the nai form of “iwau” and means ‘not to celebrate’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not celebrate” in Japanese
kanojo wa boku no tanjoubi wo zenzen iwawanai – 彼女は僕の誕生日を全然祝わない (かのじょはぼくのたんじょうびをぜんぜんいわわない)
She doesn’t celebrate my birthday at all.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- zenzen – 全然 (ぜんぜん) : an adverb working in a negative sentence to mean ‘at all’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “iwawanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to celebrate’ in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.
Iwaou: the volitional form of “iwau”
Below are the definition and meaning of “iwaou”.
- iwaou – 祝おう (いわおう) : the volitional form of “iwau”, which expresses volition to celebrate.
Grammatically, “iwaou” consists of the following two parts:
- iwao – 祝お (いわお) : one conjugation of “iwau”. This can have a smooth connection with “u”.
- u – う : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “iwaou” is literally the volitional form of “iwau” and expresses volition to celebrate in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s celebrate” in Japanese
issho ni iwaou – 一緒に祝おう (いっしょにいわおう)
Let’s celebrate together!
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- issho – 一緒 (いっしょ) : a noun meaning ‘same’, ‘being together’, or such in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say how someone does something. In the example, this is used after “issho” to say “together” in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “iwaou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s celebrate” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Iwaimasu: the masu form of “iwau”
Below are the definition and meaning of “iwaimasu”.
- iwaimasu – 祝います (いわいます) : the masu form of “iwau”, which means ‘to celebrate’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “iwaimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- iwai – 祝い (いわい) : one conjugation of “iwau”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “iwaimasu” is literally the masu form of “iwau” and means ‘to celebrate’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “celebrate” politely in Japanese
watashi tachi wa kazoku no tanjoubi wo iwaimasu – 私達は家族の誕生日を祝います (わたしたちはかぞくのたんじょうびをいわいます)
We celebrate family birthdays.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its plural form, “watashi tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
- kazoku – 家族 (かぞく) : a noun meaning ‘family’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- 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 “kazoku” and “tanjoubi”. The formed phrase literally means ‘family birthdays’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “iwaimasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to say “celebrate” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.
Iwatta: the ta form of “iwau”
Below are the definition and meanings of “iwatta”.
- iwatta – 祝った (いわった) : the ta form of “iwau”, which means ‘celebrated’, ‘have celebrated’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “iwatta” consists of the following two parts:
- iwat – 祝っ (いわっ) : one conjugation of “iwau”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “iwatta” is literally the past tense form of “iwau” and means ‘celebrated’, ‘have celebrated’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “celebrated” in Japanese
kon’ya watashi tachi wa shouri wo iwatta – 今夜私達は勝利を祝った (こんやわたしたちはしょうりをいわった)
We celebrated our victory tonight.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kon’ya – 今夜 (こんや) : a noun meaning ‘tonight’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb at the beginning of the sentence to say “tonight” in Japanese.
- shouri – 勝利 (しょうり) : a noun meaning ‘victory’ or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “iwatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “iwau”, this ta form is the best option.
Iwatte: the te form of “iwau”
Below are the definition and meaning of “iwatte”.
- iwatte – 祝って (いわって) : the te form of “iwau”, which means ‘to celebrate’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “iwatte” consists of the following two parts:
- iwat – 祝っ (いわっ) : one conjugation of “iwau”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “iwatte” is literally the te form of “iwau”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “iwatte” is very useful when we want to use “iwau” in front of another verb, an adjective, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “please celebrate” in Japanese
boku no tanjoubi mo iwatte kudasai – 僕の誕生日も祝ってください (ぼくのたんじょうびもいわってください)
Please celebrate my birthday, too!
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘also’, ‘too’, or ‘as well’. In the example, this works after “boku no tanjoubi” to make the object in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
- kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “iwatte” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “iwatte”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “iwau” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Iwaeba: the ba form of “iwau”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “iwaeba”.
- iwaeba – 祝えば (いわえば) : the ba form of “iwau”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to celebrate’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “iwaeba” consists of the following two parts:
- iwae – 祝え (いわえ) : one conjugation of “iwau”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “iwaeba” is literally the ba form of “iwau”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “iwaeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to celebrate’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if celebrate” in Japanese
tanjoubi wo iwaeba, kanojo ga yorokobu yo – 誕生日を祝えば、彼女が喜ぶよ (たんじょうびをいわえば、かのじょがよろこぶよ)
If you celebrate her birthday, she will be happy.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- 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” to make the subject in the second clause.
- yorokobu – 喜ぶ (よろこぶ) : a verb meaning ‘to be happy’ or such in Japanese.
- yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the second clause to state the speaker’s idea softly.
This is a typical usage of “iwaeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “tanjoubi wo iwaeba”, which means ‘if you celebrate her birthday’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to celebrate’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “iwau” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- iwau – 祝う (いわう) : a verb meaning ‘to celebrate’ in Japanese.
- iwawanai – 祝わない (いわわない) : the nai form of “iwau”, which means ‘not to celebrate’ in Japanese.
- iwaou – 祝おう (いわおう) : the volitional form of “iwau”, which expresses volition to celebrate.
- iwaimasu – 祝います (いわいます) : the masu form of “iwau”, which means ‘to celebrate’ politely in Japanese.
- iwatta – 祝った (いわった) : the ta form of “iwau”, which means ‘celebrated’, ‘have celebrated’, or such in Japanese.
- iwatte – 祝って (いわって) : the te form of “iwau”, which means ‘to celebrate’ in Japanese. When we want to use “iwau” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- iwaeba – 祝えば (いわえば) : the ba form of “iwau”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to celebrate’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
