What does “karui” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “karui” to mean ‘light’ 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 together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “karui” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “karui”
- Karukunai: the nai form of “karui”
- Karukatta: the ta form of “karui”
- Karukute: the te form of “karui”
- Karukereba: the ba form of “karui”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “karui”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “karui”.
- karui – 軽い (かるい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘light’ in Japanese.
Japanese native speakers use this i-adjective to describe something which has little weight.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “light” in Japanese
watashi no kaban wa karui – 私の鞄は軽い (わたしのかばんはかるい)
My bag is light.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ 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 “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- kaban – 鞄 (かばん) : a noun meaning ‘bag’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi no kaban” to make the subject in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “karui”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “watashi no karui kaban” to mean ‘my light bag’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “karui” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “karukunai”.
Karukunai: the nai form of “karui”
Below are the definition and meaning of “karukunai”.
- karukunai – 軽くない (かるくない) : the nai form of “karui”, which means ‘not light’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “karukunai” consists of the following two parts:
- karuku – 軽く (かるく) : one conjugation of “karui”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
- 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 similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “karukunai” is literally the nai form of “karui” and means ‘not light’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not light” in Japanese
kono katana wa karukunai – この刀は軽くない (このかたなはかるくない)
This Japanese sword is not light.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “katana” to mean ‘this Japanese sword’ in Japanese.
- katana – 刀 (かたな) : a noun meaning ‘Japanese sword’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “karukunai”. When we want to mean ‘not light’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Karukatta: the ta form of “karui”
Below are the definition and meanings of “karukatta”.
- karukatta – 軽かった (かるかった) : the ta form of “karui”, which means ‘was light’, ‘were light’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “karukatta” consists of the following two parts:
- karukat – 軽かっ (かるかっ) : one conjugation of “karui”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- 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.
From these two parts, we can understand that “karukatta” is literally the ta form of “karui” and means ‘was light’, ‘were light’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “was light” in Japanese
kanojo no kaban wa totemo karukatta – 彼女の鞄はとても軽かった (かのじょのかばんはとてもかるかった)
Her bag was very light.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with the case particle, “no”, to mean ‘her’ in Japanese.
- totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of “karukatta” to emphasize its meaning.
This is a typical usage of “karukatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “karui”, this ta form is the best option.
Karukute: the te form of “karui”
Below are the definition and meaning of “karukute”.
- karukute – 軽くて (かるくて) : the te form of “karui”, which means ‘light’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “karukute” consists of the following two parts:
- karuku – 軽く (かるく) : one conjugation of “karui”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “karukute” is literally the te form of “karui”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “karukute” is very useful when we want to use “karui” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “light and” in Japanese
boku no kaban wa karukute chiisai – 僕の鞄は軽くて小さい (ぼくのかばんはかるくてちいさい)
My bag is light and small.
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. In the example, this works together with the case particle, “no”, to mean ‘my’ in Japanese.
- chiisai – 小さい (ちいさい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘small’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “karukute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “chiisai”. When we want to use “karui” in front of another adjective like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Karukereba: the ba form of “karui”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “karukereba”.
- karukereba – 軽ければ (かるければ) : the ba form of “karui”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘light’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “karukereba” consists of the following two parts:
- karukere – 軽けれ (かるけれ) : one conjugation of “karui”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “karukereba” is literally the ba form of “karui”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “karukereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘light’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “if light” in Japanese
kaban ga karukereba, boku ga hakoberu yo – 鞄が軽ければ、僕が運べるよ (かばんがかるければ、ぼくがはこべるよ)
If the bag is light, I can carry it.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, the first “ga” is used after “kaban” to make the subject in the conditional clause. The second “ga” is used after “boku” to make the subject in the second clause.
- hakoberu – 運べる (はこべる) : a potential verb meaning ‘can carry’ in Japanese.
- yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the second clause to state the speaker’s idea softly.
This is a typical usage of “karukereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kaban ga karukereba”, which means ‘if the bag is light’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘light’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “karui” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- karui – 軽い (かるい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘light’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
- karukunai – 軽くない (かるくない) : the nai form of “karui”, which means ‘not light’ in Japanese.
- karukatta – 軽かった (かるかった) : the ta form of “karui”, which means ‘was light’, ‘were light’, or such in Japanese.
- karukute – 軽くて (かるくて) : the te form of “karui”, which means ‘light’ in Japanese. When we want to use “karui” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- karukereba – 軽ければ (かるければ) : the ba form of “karui”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘light’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
