What does “kaimono” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “kaimono” to mean ‘shopping’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word as it is quite often used in Japanese conversations. 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 “kaimono” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “kaimono”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “kaimono”.
- kaimono – 買い物 (かいもの) : a noun meaning ‘shopping’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to the act of buying or purchasing something in Japanese. So, its usage is very similar to that of the English noun, “shopping”, I think.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Kaimono in kanji
The kanji expression of “kaimono” contains the following two kanji characters:
- 買 : a kanji character widely used to express the act of buying or purchasing.
- 物 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘thing’, ‘stuff’, or such in Japanese. This can also mean ‘something’ or ‘anything’ depending on the words used together. This kanji can also be found in other words like “tabemono” and “nomimono“.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “kaimono” literally means ‘buying things’ in Japanese. So, what the kanji characters express is completely in line with the meaning.
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 “kaimono” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “kaimono” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “shopping” in Japanese
boku wa kaimono ga suki desu – 僕は買い物が好きです (ぼくはかいものがすきです)
I love shopping.
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.
- 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 “kaimono” 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 “kaimono”. In the example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “kaimono ga suki”, which means ‘to like shopping’ or ‘to love shopping’ in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “kaimono”
watashi tachi wa mise de kaimono wo shi ta – 私達は店で買い物をした (わたしたちはみせでかいものをした)
We did shopping at the shop.
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. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- mise – 店 (みせ) : a noun meaning ‘shop’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “mise” to say where “watashi tachi” did shopping.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kaimono” to make the object in the sentence.
- shi – し : one conjugation of the verb, “suru“, which means ‘to do’ or ‘to perform’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- 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. In the example, this is used after “shi” to make its past tense form, “shi ta”.
This is another typical usage of “kaimono”. In this example, it works as the object word in the sentence. When we want to say “shopping” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “kaimono” 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.
- kaimono – 買い物 (かいもの) : a noun meaning ‘shopping’ in Japanese. Native speakers use this to refer to the act of buying or purchasing something in Japanese. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to that of the English one, “shopping”. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘buying things’. So, what the kanji characters express is completely in line with the meaning. When we want to say “shopping” in Japanese, this noun is always a good option.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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