• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Japanese Particles Master

particles for perfection

  • Home
  • grammar
  • particles
  • nouns
  • verbs
  • adjectives
  • adverbs
  • translation
  • Author
Home » nouns » Kiseki is the Japanese word for ‘miracle’, explained

July 16, 2022 By Masaki Mori

Kiseki is the Japanese word for ‘miracle’, explained

What does “kiseki” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “kiseki” to mean ‘miracle’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word well as it is often used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. 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 “kiseki” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

  • Definition and meaning of “kiseki”
  • Kiseki in kanji
    • Example #1: how to say “miracle” in Japanese
    • Example #2: another usage of “kiseki”
  • Summary

Definition and meaning of “kiseki”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “kiseki”.

  • kiseki – 奇跡 (きせき) : a noun meaning ‘miracle’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to an event which has a very low probability of happening. So, its usage is similar to that of the English noun, “miracle”, I think.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Kiseki in kanji

The kanji expression of “kiseki” consists of the following two characters:

  • 奇 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘unusual’, ‘odd’, ‘weird’, or such in Japanese.
  • 跡 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘sign’, ‘trace’, ‘track’, or such in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “kiseki” literally means ‘unusual sign’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. Miracles are often unusual and leave some signs.

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 “kiseki” through the detailed kanji check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

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

boku tachi wa kiseki wo shinjiru – 僕達は奇跡を信じる (ぼくたちはきせきをしんじる)

We believe in miracles.

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.
  • tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its plural form, “boku tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
  • wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku tachi” 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 “kiseki” to make the object in the sentence.
  • shinjiru – 信じる (しんじる) : a verb meaning ‘to believe’ or such in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “kiseki”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “kiseki wo shinjiru”, which means ‘to believe in miracles’ in Japanese.

Example #2: another usage of “kiseki”

soshite kiseki ga oki ta – そして奇跡が起きた (そしてきせきがおきた)

Then, a miracle happened.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

  • soshite – そして : a conjunction meaning ‘and’, ‘then’, or such in Japanese.
  • 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 “kiseki” to make the subject in the sentence.
  • oki – 起き (おき) : one conjugation of the verb, “okiru”, which means ‘to happen’, ‘to occur’, or such 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 “oki” to make its past tense form, “oki ta”.

This is another typical usage of “kiseki”. When we want to say “miracle” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “kiseki” 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.

  • kiseki – 奇跡 (きせき) : a noun meaning ‘miracle’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘unusual sign’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. Miracles are often unusual and leave some signs.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.

  • Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit Share on Reddit
  • Share via Email Share via Email

Learn more vocabulary on the app!

You can improve your Japanese vocabulary with our flashcards.

Get it on Google Play

Filed Under: nouns

Learn more words by kanji groups

Kanji for bad Kanji for big Kanji for child Kanji for day Kanji for fire Kanji for god Kanji for heart Kanji for heaven Kanji for moon Kanji for night Kanji for now Kanji for person Kanji for rain Kanji for time Kanji for tree Kanji for what Kanji for woman Kanji for year

Recent Posts

  • Manabu is the Japanese verb for ‘to study’, explained
  • Obasan is the Japanese word for ‘aunt’, explained
  • Nomu is the Japanese verb for ‘to drink’, explained
  • Yomu is the Japanese verb for ‘to read’, explained
  • Kinoko is the Japanese word for ‘mushroom’, explained

Are you still looking for something?

Footer

Categories

  • adjectives
  • adverbs
  • grammar
  • nouns
  • particles
  • translation
  • verbs
  • vocabulary

Tags

Kanji for bad Kanji for big Kanji for child Kanji for day Kanji for fire Kanji for god Kanji for heart Kanji for heaven Kanji for moon Kanji for night Kanji for now Kanji for person Kanji for rain Kanji for time Kanji for tree Kanji for what Kanji for woman Kanji for year

Feed

  • RSS

Follow me on Twitter

  • Twitter

Copyright © 2017–2023 Japanese Particles Master All Rights Reserved.