What does “kaiwa” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “kaiwa” often to mean ‘conversation’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it 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 “kaiwa” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “kaiwa”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “kaiwa”.
- kaiwa – 会話 (かいわ) : a noun meaning ‘conversation’, ‘chat’, or just ‘talk’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. The meanings seem to be based on the same concept. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Kaiwa in kanji
The kanji expression of “kaiwa” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 会 : a kanji character used to refer to the act of meeting.
- 話 : a kanji character used to refer to the act of talking.
These two kanji characters tell us that “kaiwa” literally means ‘meet and talk’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Today we can talk on the phone, but people in the past had to meet in person to talk.
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 “kaiwa” through the detailed kanji check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “kaiwa” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “conversations” in Japanese
kodomo wa otona no kaiwa wo tanoshin da – 子供は大人の会話を楽しんだ (こどもはおとなのかいわをたのしんだ)
Children enjoyed adult conversations.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kodomo – 子供 (こども) : a noun meaning ‘child’ or ‘kid’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kodomo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- otona – 大人 (おとな) : a noun meaning ‘adult’ 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 “otona” and “kaiwa”. The formed phrase literally means ‘adult conversations’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “otona no kaiwa” to make the object in the sentence.
- tanoshin – 楽しん (たのしん) : one conjugation of the verb, “tanoshimu“, which means ‘to enjoy’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- da – だ : the voiced version of “ta” which is an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after “tanoshin” to make its past tense form, “tanoshin da”.
This is a typical usage of “kaiwa”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “otona no kaiwa”, which means ‘adult conversations’ in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “kaiwa”
kanojo tachi no kaiwa wa itsumo tanoshii – 彼女達の会話はいつも楽しい (かのじょたちのかいわはいつもたのしい)
Their conversations are always funny.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ 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 “kanojo” to make its plural form, “kanojo tachi”, which means ‘they’ 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 tachi” to make its possessive case, “kanojo tachi no”, which means ‘their’ in Japanese.
- itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
- tanoshii – 楽しい (たのしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘funny’ in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “kaiwa”. In this example, it works together with the possessive case, “kanojo tachi no”, to mean ‘their conversations’ in Japanese. When we want to mean ‘conversation’ in Japanese, anyway, “kaiwa” is always a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kaiwa” 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.
- kaiwa – 会話 (かいわ) : a noun meaning ‘conversation’, ‘chat’, or just ‘talk’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘meet and talk’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Today we can talk on the phone, but people in the past had to meet in person to talk.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
