What does “kitanai” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “kitanai” to mean ‘dirty’, ‘unclean’, or ‘unfair’ 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 to use “kitanai” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “kitanai”
- Kitanakunai: the nai form of “kitanai”
- Kitanakatta: the ta form of “kitanai”
- Kitanakute: the te form of “kitanai”
- Kitanakereba: the ba form of “kitanai”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “kitanai”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “kitanai”.
- kitanai – 汚い (きたない) : an i-adjective meaning ‘dirty’, ‘unclean’, or ‘unfair’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this i-adjective normally to describe something dirty in Japanese. When they use this i-adjective for people, it can describe their unfairness. So, its usages are very similar to those of the English adjective, “dirty”.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “dirty” in Japanese
boku no kutsu wa kitanai – 僕の靴は汚い (ぼくのくつはきたない)
My shoes are dirty.
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.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its possessive case, “boku no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- kutsu – 靴 (くつ) : a noun meaning ‘shoe’ 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 “boku no kutsu” to make the subject in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “kitanai”. In this example, it works to describe the shoes. When we want to describe something dirty in Japanese, this i-adjective is a good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kitanai” 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 “kitanakunai”.
Kitanakunai: the nai form of “kitanai”
Below are the definition and meanings of “kitanakunai”.
- kitanakunai – 汚くない (きたなくない) : the nai form of “kitanai”, which means ‘not dirty’, ‘not unclean’, or ‘not unfair’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “kitanakunai” consists of the following two parts:
- kitanaku – 汚く (きたなく) : one conjugation of “kitanai”. 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 “kitanakunai” is literally the nai form of “kitanai” and means ‘not dirty’, ‘not unclean’, or ‘not unfair’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not unfair” in Japanese
「watashi wa kitanakunai」to kanojo ga it ta – 「私は汚くない」と彼女が言った (「わたしはきたなくない」とかのじょがいった)
“I’m not unfair,” she said.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what “kanojo” said.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ 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 “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu”, which means ‘to say’ 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 “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.
This is a typical usage of “kitanakunai”. When we want to mean ‘not unfair’ in Japanese, this nai form can be a good option.
Kitanakatta: the ta form of “kitanai”
Below are the definition and meanings of “kitanakatta”.
- kitanakatta – 汚かった (きたなかった) : the ta form of “kitanai”, which means ‘was dirty’, ‘was unclean’, ‘was unfair’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “kitanakatta” consists of the following two parts:
- kitanakat – 汚かっ (きたなかっ) : one conjugation of “kitanai”. 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 “kitanakatta” is literally the ta form of “kitanai” and means ‘was dirty’, ‘was unclean’, ‘was unfair’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “were dirty” in Japanese
kare no kutsu mo kitanakatta – 彼の靴も汚かった (かれのくつもきたなかった)
His shoes were dirty, too.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with “no” to say “his” in Japanese.
- mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘also’, ‘as well’, or ‘too’. In the example, this works after “kare no kutsu” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
This is a typical usage of “kitanakatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “kitanai”, this ta form is the best option.
Kitanakute: the te form of “kitanai”
Below are the definition and meanings of “kitanakute”.
- kitanakute – 汚くて (きたなくて) : the te form of “kitanai”, which means ‘dirty’, ‘unclean’, or ‘unfair’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “kitanakute” consists of the following two parts:
- kitanaku – 汚く (きたなく) : one conjugation of “kitanai”. 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 “kitanakute” is literally the te form of “kitanai”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make a cause-and-effect structure in a sentence. So, “kitanakute” is very useful when we want to implement the structure into a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘dirty’, ‘unclean’, or ‘unfair’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “dirty and thus” in Japanese
boku no kutsu wa kitanakute hazukashii desu – 僕の靴は汚くて恥ずかしいです (ぼくのくつはきたなくてはずかしいです)
My shoes are dirty and thus embarrassing.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- hazukashii – 恥ずかしい (はずかしい) : an i-adjective meaning ’embarrassing’ or such in Japanese.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “hazukashii” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “kitanakute”. In the example, it works to make the cause-and-effect structure in the sentence. When we want to use “kitanai” like this, its te form is very useful.
Kitanakereba: the ba form of “kitanai”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “kitanakereba”.
- kitanakereba – 汚ければ (きたなければ) : the ba form of “kitanai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘dirty’, ‘unclean’, or ‘unfair’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “kitanakereba” consists of the following two parts:
- kitanakere – 汚けれ (きたなけれ) : one conjugation of “kitanai”. 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 “kitanakereba” is literally the ba form of “kitanai”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “kitanakereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘dirty’, ‘unclean’, or ‘unfair’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “if dirty” in Japanese
kutsu ga kitanakereba, mizu de arat te kudasai – 靴が汚ければ、水で洗ってください (くつがきたなければ、みずであらってください)
If your shoes are dirty, please wash them with water.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- mizu – 水 (みず) : a noun meaning ‘water’ in Japanese.
- de – で : a case particle used to say what means or method someone uses to do something. In the example, this is used after “mizu” to say what the listener should use to wash their shoes.
- arat – 洗っ (あらっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “arau”, which means ‘to wash’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : the same as used in “kitanakute”. In this example, this is used after “arat” to make its te form, “arat te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
- kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “arat te” to say “please wash” in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “kitanakereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kutsu ga kitanakereba”, which means ‘if your shoes are dirty’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘dirty’, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kitanai” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- kitanai – 汚い (きたない) : an i-adjective meaning ‘dirty’, ‘unclean’, or ‘unfair’ in Japanese.
- kitanakunai – 汚くない (きたなくない) : the nai form of “kitanai”, which means ‘not dirty’, ‘not unclean’, or ‘not unfair’ in Japanese.
- kitanakatta – 汚かった (きたなかった) : the ta form of “kitanai”, which means ‘was dirty’, ‘was unclean’, ‘was unfair’, or such in Japanese.
- kitanakute – 汚くて (きたなくて) : the te form of “kitanai”, which means ‘dirty’, ‘unclean’, or ‘unfair’ in Japanese. When we want to make a cause-and-effect structure in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘dirty’, this te form is very useful.
- kitanakereba – 汚ければ (きたなければ) : the ba form of “kitanai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘dirty’, ‘unclean’, or ‘unfair’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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