What does “kitto” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “kitto” to mean ‘most likely’, ‘surely’, ‘definitely’, or such 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 its definition, meanings, and usages with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “kitto” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “kitto”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “kitto”.
- kitto – きっと : an adverb meaning ‘most likely’, ‘surely’, ‘definitely’, or such in Japanese.
Native speakers use this adverb to make hopeful sentences with adding the meaning of ‘most likely’, ‘surely’, or such. In addition, when they are relatively certain that something happens, they tend to use this adverb to express the degree of probability.
This adverb has the kanji expression, “屹度”, but this is very rarely used. So, we can focus only on its hiragana expression.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. Then, let me explain how to use “kitto” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “most likely” in Japanese
kanojo wa kitto kyou kuru to omoi masu – 彼女はきっと今日来ると思います (かのじょはきっときょうくるとおもいます)
She will most likely come today, I think.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb in almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “today” in Japanese.
- kuru – 来る (くる) : a verb meaning ‘to come’ in Japanese.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause, “kanojo wa kitto kyou kuru”, to indicate what the speaker thinks.
- omoi – 思い (おもい) : one conjugation of the verb, “omou”, which means ‘to think’, ‘to guess’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “omoi” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “kitto”. It is an adverb, so can work in almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, it works to make the hopeful expression with adding the meaning of ‘most likely’.
Example #2: another usage of “kitto”
kitto boku no yume ga kanau – きっと僕の夢が叶う (きっとぼくのゆめがかなう)
My dream will come true.
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.
- yume – 夢 (ゆめ) : a noun meaning ‘dream’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- 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 “boku no yume” to make the subject in the sentence.
- kanau – 叶う (かなう) : a verb meaning ‘to come true’, ‘to be realized’, or such in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “kitto”. In this example, it works at the beginning of the sentence to make the hopeful expression. It has been reflected as “will” in the English sentence. The speaker seems to be very certain that his dream will come true.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kitto”. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- kitto – きっと : an adverb meaning ‘most likely’, ‘surely’, ‘definitely’, or such in Japanese. Native speakers use this adverb to make hopeful sentences. In addition, when they are relatively certain that something happens, they tend to use this adverb to express the degree of probability. This adverb has the kanji expression, “屹度”, but this is very rarely used. So, we can focus only on the hiragana expression.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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