Kami has three different meanings in Japanese, explained

What does “kami” mean in Japanese?

In Japanese, there are so many homophones. “Kami” is one of them. Native speakers say it to mean ‘hair’, ‘paper’, or ‘god’ 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 three different meanings with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “kami” more clearly. Then, 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 “god” in Japanese
• Summary

Kami to mean ‘hair’ in Japanese

Let me start with “kami” which means ‘hair’ in Japanese.

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

The definition and meaning are very simple and clear. To tell the truth, Japanese has another word to mean ‘hair’: “kaminoke”. This helps us specifically mean ‘hair’ in Japanese and avoid any possible confusion with homophones. Still, native speakers quite often just say “kami” to mean ‘hair’ in Japanese.

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.

• 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.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kami” to make the object 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 Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “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, this is used after “nobashi te” to express the continuity of its action, ‘to grow’.

This is a typical usage of “kami” which means ‘hair’ in Japanese. In the example, it works as a part of the commonly-used phrase, “kami wo nobashi te iru”, which means ‘to be growing hair out’ in Japanese.

To differentiate this type from the others, we need to be careful with the verb working together. This type often precedes a verb meaning ‘to grow’, ‘to wave’, or ‘to cut’.

Kami to mean ‘paper’ in Japanese

Next, let me explain “kami” which means ‘paper’ in Japanese.

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

Again, the definition and meaning are very simple and clear. Unlike the last one, no other words can take over the role of this type. In other words, this is the only option to say “paper” in Japanese. So, we need to be careful with the context to differentiate this type from the other homophones.

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

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• tsukawa – 使わ (つかわ) : one conjugation of the verb, “tsukau“, which means ‘to use’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• 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”.

This is a typical usage of this type of “kami”. In this example, it works together with the nai form of “tsukau” to mean ‘not to use paper’ in Japanese. We do not often use our hair or gods, so we can easily understand the correct meaning of this example sentence.

Kami to mean ‘god’ in Japanese

Lastly, let me explain “kami” which means a ‘god’ in Japanese.

• kami – 神 (かみ) : a noun meaning ‘god’ in Japanese. This can also work like an adjective to mean ‘godlike’ especially in speaking.

Native speakers, especially young people, use this word like an adjective to mean ‘godlike’ in Japanese. This fact would help Japanese learners understand the correct meanings of Japanese daily conversations, I think.

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

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• karera – 彼等 (かれら) : a pronoun meaning ‘they’ in Japanese.
• shinji – 信じ (しんじ) : one conjugation of the verb, “shinjiru“, which means ‘to believe’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with “nai”.

This is a typical usage of this type of “kami”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used phrase, “kami wo shinji nai”, which means ‘not to believe in god’ in Japanese. We rarely believe in our hair or paper, so we can easily understand the correct meaning of this example sentence, I think.

Summary

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

• kami – 髪 (かみ) : a noun meaning ‘hair’ in Japanese. This type often precedes a verb meaning ‘to grow’, ‘to wave’, or ‘to cut’. This fact would help us differentiate this type from the others.
• kami – 紙 (かみ) : a noun meaning ‘paper’ in Japanese. This is the only option to say ‘paper’ in Japanese. So, we need to be careful with the context to differentiate this type from the other homophones.
• kami – 神 (かみ) : a noun meaning ‘god’ in Japanese. This can also work like an adjective to mean ‘godlike’ especially in speaking. This type often precedes a verb meaning ‘to believe’, ‘to ask’, or even ‘to exist’. It’s worth knowing.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.