What does “kiwotsukete” mean in Japnaese?
Native speakers say “kiwotsukete” to mean ‘take care’, ‘be careful’, or such in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this phrase as it is quite often used in Japanese movies, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this phrase in detail based on its components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand this phrase more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “kiwotsukete”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “kiwotsukete”.
- kiwotsukete – 気を付けて (きをつけて) : a Japanese phrase for ‘take care’, ‘be careful’, or such.
Again, but native speakers use this phrase to say “take care”, “be careful”, or such in Japanese.
The definition and meanings are not so difficult, I think. To understand this phrase more clearly, however, let me explain tis components in detail, one by one.
Breakdown of “kiwotsukete”
“Kiwotsukete” consists of the following four components:
- ki – 気 (き) : a noun meaning ‘mind’, ‘heart’, ‘spirit’, or such in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the phrase, this is used after “ki” to make the object word.
- tsuke – 付け (つけ) : one conjugation of the verb, “tsukeru”, which means ‘to attache’, ‘to append’, ‘to add’, or such in Japanese. 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 Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is become the command forms. In the phrase, this is used after “tsuke” to make its te form, “tuske te”.
From these four components, we can understand that “kiwotsukete” is the command form which literally means ‘attache the mind’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings of the phrase, but still very close, I think. In the Japanese language, “take care” and “be careful” can be expressed by the phrase meaning “attache the mind (to the object)”.
When we meet new Japanese phrases, we should check their components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about meanings of phrases they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “kiwotsukete” through the detailed check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “kiwotsukete” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “take care” in Japanese
kenkou ni kiwotsukete – 健康に気を付けて (けんこうにきをつけて)
Take care of your health.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kenkou – 健康 (けんこう) : a noun meaning ‘health’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say to which object an action is directed. In the example, this is used after “kenkou” to say to which object the action described by “kiwotsukete” is directed.
This is a typical usage of “kiwotsukete”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “kenkou ni kiwotsukete”, which means ‘take care of your health’ in Japanese.
The example sentence doesn’t contain any word referring to “you”, but its meaning can be interpreted as ‘take care of your health’. Japanese sentences often lack words referring to a person or people explicitly. We need to guess to whom those sentences are directed from the situation and context. In the example, the sentence is obviously directed to the listener. So, we can understand its meaning as ‘take care of your health’. This is one of the reasons Japanese is considered as a high-context language, I think.
Example #2: another usage of “kiwotsukete”
kuruma no unten ni kiwotsukete – 車の運転に気を付けて (くるまのうんてんにきをつけて)
Be careful driving.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “kuruma” and “unten”. The formed phrase literally means ‘car driving’ in Japanese.
- unten – 運転 (うんてん) : a noun meaning ‘driving’ in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “kiwotsukete”. When we want to say “be careful” in Japanese, this phrase is a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kiwotsukete” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- kiwotsukete – 気を付けて (きをつけて) : a Japanese phrase for ‘take care’, ‘be careful’, or such. This phrase is the command form which literally means ‘attache the mind’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. In the Japanese language, “take care” and “be careful” can be expressed by the phrase meaning “attache the mind (to the object)”.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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