Kami in Japanese is mainly used in the three different ways, explained

What does “kami” mean in Japanese?

In the Japanese language, there are a lot of homonyms. “Kami” is one of them. Normally, Japanese native speakers say “kami” to mean ‘hair’, ‘paper’, or ‘God’ in Japanese. In this blog post, I will explain these three usages in detail through example sentences. Let’s get started!

Contents

• “Kami” to mean ‘hair’ in Japanese
  • Example #1: how to say “hair” in Japanese
• “Kami” to mean ‘paper’ in Japanese
  • Example #2: how to say “paper” in Japanese
• “Kami” to mean ‘God’ in Japanese
  • Example #3: how to say “godlike” in Japanese
• Summary

“Kami” to mean ‘hair’ in Japanese

First, let me start with “kami” meaning ‘hair’ in Japanese.

• kami – 髪 (かみ) : a noun meaning ‘hair’ in Japanese.

Its definition and meaning are quite simple and clear, I think.

In the Japanese language, there is another way to say “hair”. “Kaminoke” is it. Perhaps, it would help us to mean ‘hair’ specifically and to avoid the possible confusion among the homonyms. Yet, Japanese native speakers normally use both in the same way. So, we don’t have to pay much attention to the difference.

Then, let me explain how to use this type of “kami” through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “hair” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “watashi”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after the noun, “kami”, to make the object word in the sentence.
• nobashi – 伸ばし (のばし) : one conjugation of the verb, “nobasu”, which means ‘to extend’, ‘to grow’, or such. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its te form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “nobashi”, to make its te form, “nobashi te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
• iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by its preceding verb. In the example, it is put after the te-formed verb, “nobashi te”, to express the continuity of its action, ‘to grow’.

This is a typical usage of “kami” meaning ‘hair’. Japanese native speakers often use it as a part of the idiomatic expression, “kami wo nobasu”, which literally means ‘to grow [one’s] hair’. In this example, this expression is used with its verb part conjugated.

To differentiate this “kami” from the others, we need to be careful with the verb used together with it. When it is used together with a verb meaning ‘to grow’, ‘to wave’, ‘to cut’, or such, proobably it would mean ‘hair’ in Japanese.

“Kami” to mean ‘paper’ in Japanese

Next, then, let me explain “kami” meaning ‘paper’ in Japanese.

• kami – 紙 (かみ) : a noun meaning ‘paper’ in Japanese.

Its definition and meaning are also quite simple and clear, I think. Unlike “kami” meaning ‘hair’, no other words can take over the role of this type of “kami”. In other words, this is the only one option to say ‘paper’ in Japanese. To differentiate this “kami” from its homonyms, therefore, we need to be careful with the context.

Then, let me explain how to use this “kami” through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “paper” in Japanese

Below are the new words and particle used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to indicate a particular object to which an action is directed. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to indicate the object to which the action, ‘to give’, is directed.
• ichi – 一 (いち) : a numeral meaning ‘one’ in Japanese.
• mai – 枚 (まい) : a counter suffix used for something thin like ‘paper’. In the example, it is put after the numeral, “ichi”, and works as a counter for “kami”.
• wo – を : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is put after “kami” to make the object word in the sentence.
• watashi – 渡し (わたし) : one conjugation of the verb, “watasu”, which means ‘to give’, ‘to pass’, or such. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb or adjective to make its past tense form. Probably it is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “watashi”, to make its past tense form, “watashi ta”, which mean ‘to have given’.

This is a typical usage of “kami” meaning ‘paper’. In this example, it is preceded by the combination of the numeral and the counter suffix, so the formed phrase has been translated as ‘a piece of paper’.

“Kami” to mean ‘God’ in Japanese

Lastly, let me explain “kami” meaning ‘God’ in Japanese.

• kami – 神 (かみ) : a noun meaning ‘God’, but can also be used like an adjective meaning ‘godlike’ in Japanese.

Japanese native speakers, especially in speaking, use this word like an adjective to mean ‘godlike’ in Japanese. Honestly speaking, this usage is much more popular than the original one meaning ‘God’. For this usage, Japanese natives often use it alone even like an interjection. This fact would help us to differentiate this “kami” from the others.

Then, let me explain how to use this “kami” through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “godlike” in Japanese

Below are the new words and particle used in the example sentence.

• hai – はい : an interjection meaning ‘yes’ in Japanese.
• to – と : a case particle put after a phrase or sentence to express that it is a quote. In a way, it is a quote marker. In the example, it is put after the short sentence, “hai kami”, to express that it is a quote.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : the same as explained in the first example. In this example, it is put after the pronoun, “kanojo”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu”, which means ‘to say’, ‘to tell’, or such in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is a typical usage of this type of “kami”. In this example, it is used as a part of the short phrase, “hai kami”, which means ‘yes! It’s godlike’. Especially Japanese young people often use this phrase in conversations with their friends and family members.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the three different types of “kami” through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kami – 髪 (かみ) : a noun meaning ‘hair’ in Japanese. When it is used together with a verb meaning ‘to grow’, ‘to wave’, ‘to cut’, or such, proobably it would mean ‘hair’ in Japanese.
• kami wo nobasu – 髪を伸ばす (かみをのばす) : a Japanese idiomatic expression for ‘to grow [one’s] hair’.
• kami – 紙 (かみ) : a noun meaning ‘paper’ in Japanese. This is the only one option to say ‘paper’ in Japanese. To differentiate this “kami” from its homonyms, therefore, we need to be careful with the context.
• kami – 神 (かみ) : a noun meaning ‘God’, but can also be used like an adjective meaning ‘godlike’ in Japanese. When Japanese people use it to mean ‘godlike’, they tend to use it alone like an interjection. This fact would help us to differentiate this from the others.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.