How to say “justice” in Japanese
Japanese people would say “seigi”. It is the Japanese word for ‘justice’ or ‘righteousness’. In this blog post, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. Let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “seigi”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “seigi”.
- seigi – 正義 (せいぎ) : a noun meaning ‘justice’ or ‘righteousness’ in Japanese.
Its definition and meanings are very simple and clear, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
“Seigi” in kanji
Below are the kanji characters used in “seigi”.
- 正 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘right’ in Japanese. This can also be found in other words like “shoujiki“.
- 義 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘morality’, ‘sense’, or ‘honor’ in Japanese.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “seigi” literally means ‘right morality’ in Japanese. This kanji concept seems to be in line with the meanings, ‘justice’ and ‘righteousness’.
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 “seigi” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “seigi” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “justice” in Japanese
seigi wa katsu – 正義は勝つ (せいぎはかつ)
Justice will prevail.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is used after “seigi” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- katsu – 勝つ (かつ) : a verb meaning ‘to win’, ‘to conquer’, or such in Japanese. In this example, it has been translated as ‘to prevail’.
This is a typical usage of “seigi”. When we want to say “justice” in Japanese, this word would be a very good choice. In this example, it is used as a part of the widely-used expression, “seigi wa katsu”, which means ‘justice will prevail’ or ‘justice will conquer’ in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “seigi”
seigi no hantai wa mou hitotsu no seigi da – 正義の反対はもう一つの正義だ (せいぎのはんたいはもうひとつのせいぎだ)
The opposite of justice is another justice.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- no – の : a case particle used to limit the meaning of its following word with the meaning of its preceding word based on relations like possessing and belonging. In the example, it is used to limit the meaning of “hantai” with the meaning of “seigi”. The formed phrase, “seigi no hantai”, has been translated as ‘the opposite of justice’. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this particle is similar to that of “of”.
- hantai – 反対 (はんたい) : a noun meaning ‘opposite’ in Japanese.
- mou hitotsu – もう一つ (もうひとつ) : a phrase meaning ‘another thing’, ‘another’, or such in Japanese. This is a combined word, but Japanese native speakers often use it as one word.
- no – の : the same as explained above. The second “no” is used to limit the meaning of “seigi” with the meaning of “mou hitotsu”. The formed phrase has been translated as ‘another justice’.
- da – だ : an auxiliary verb used after a noun, adjective, or adverb to make a simple declarative sentence. In the example, it is used after the noun phrase, “mou hitotsu no seigi”, to make the declarative sentence.
This is another typical usage of “seigi”. This example sentence is often used in Japanese movies and anime, I think.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “seigi” 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.
- seigi – 正義 (せいぎ) : a noun meaning ‘justice’ or ‘righteousness’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘right morality’. This kanji concept seems to be in line with the meanings.
- seigi wa katsu – 正義は勝つ (せいぎはかつ) : a widely-used expression meaning ‘justice will prevail’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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