How does “koto” work in Japanese?
There are some homophones in Japanese. When native speakers use “koto” in a sentence, however, it most probably works to make a noun phrase or noun clause in the sentence. This role is often explained well in Japanese textbooks, but I will explain it in detail again with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand how to use “koto” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “koto”
- How to make a noun clause with “koto”
- How to use “koto” with “no”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “koto”
First of all, let me start with the definition and meanings of “koto”.
- koto – 事 (こと) : a noun meaning ‘thing’, ‘matter’, ‘event’, ‘affair’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Japanese people normally use this noun to refer to an inanimate thing which they cannot see. It is often an event, act, idea, or concept of something. In this regard, this noun is very different from the similar one, “mono”, which often refers to something they can visually observe. This difference is very important not only to understand the meanings of these two nouns, but to understand their roles in sentences as well. As I mentioned above, “koto” can work to make a noun phrase or clause in a sentence, but the formed phrase or clause does not refer to a thing we can see with our eyes. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to make a noun phrase from a verb
kanojo wa taberu koto ga suki desu – 彼女は食べることが好きです (かのじょはたべることがすきです)
She likes eating.
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.
- taberu – 食べる (たべる) : a verb meaning ‘to eat’ 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 “taberu koto” to make the object in the sentence.
- suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’. In the example, actually, this is used to mean ‘to like’.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “koto”. In this example, it works after the verb, “taberu”, to say “eating” in Japanese. So, it makes the noun phrase (perhaps, I should say “noun form” in English) of the preceding verb. For this usage, the preceding verb doesn’t have to be conjugated. All we have to do is, therefore, just add “koto” after a verb which we want to turn into its noun phrase. The formula, a verb + koto, is very useful and definitely worth mastering. Eating in this context is something we cannot see, by the way. So, “koto” is very suitable.
Example #2: how to make a noun phrase from an adjective
boku wa tanoshii koto ga suki desu – 僕は楽しいことが好きです (ぼくはたのしいことがすきです)
I like fun things.
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.
- tanoshii – 楽しい (たのしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘fun’ in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “koto”. In this example, it works after the i-adjective, “tanoshii”, to say “fun things” in Japanese. It can also be translated as “something fun”, I think. “Koto” is anyway very useful when we want to make a noun phrase from an adjective with keeping its meaning at the center of the phrase. No matter what type of adjective is used before “koto”, it doesn’t have to be conjugated. All we have to do is, therefore, just add “koto” after an adjective which we want to turn into its noun phrase. The formula, an adjective + koto, is very useful and definitely worth mastering.
How to make a noun clause with “koto”
Next, let me explain how to use “koto” to make a noun clause in a sentence. Basically, we can use the same method as explained above. All we have to do is just add “koto” after a sentence which we want to turn into a noun clause in a sentence. The word preceding “koto” needs to be in its plain form. Normally, however, the last word in a sentence is in its plain form. So, we don’t have to anything other than adding “koto”.
Example #3: how to make a noun clause from a sentence
kanojo ga kyou kuru koto wo shira nakat ta – 彼女が今日来ることを知らなかった (かのじょがきょうくることをしらなかった)
I didn’t know that she would come today.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb 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.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after the clause, “kanojo ga kyou kuru koto”, to make the object in the sentence.
- shira – 知ら (しら) : one conjugation of the verb, “shiru”, which means ‘to know’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- nakat – なかっ : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “nai“, which denies the meaning of the preceding word. In the example, this works to deny the meaning of “shira”, ‘to know’.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this works after “shira nakat” to make its past tense form.
This is another typical usage of “koto”. In this example, it works after the short sentence, “kanojo ga kyou kuru”, to make the clause in the sentence. It has been reflected as “that” in the English sentence. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this “koto” is similar to that of “that”, I think. When we want to make a noun clause in an English sentence, we can use “that” before a short sentence. A very similar thing happens in Japanese. When we want to make a noun clause in a sentence, we just add “koto” after a short sentence and we can continue the sentence.
How to use “koto” with “no”
Lastly, let me explain another basic usage. “No” is well known as a case particle which is used to join two nouns or noun equivalent words. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to those of the English prepositions like “of”, “about”, “on”, and the like. So, when we use it before “koto”, we can say “a thing of”, “a thing about”, or such in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “things about” in Japanese
boku tachi wa boku tachi no kuni no koto wo hanashi ta – 僕達は僕達の国の事を話した (ぼくたちはぼくたちのくにのことをはなした)
We talked about things about our country.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- 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.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, the first one is used after “boku tachi” to make its possessive case, “boku tachi no”, which means ‘our’ in Japanese. This can be considered as a special use case of the one explained above.
- kuni – 国 (くに) : a noun meaning ‘country’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns or noun equivalent words. In the example, this is used to join “boku tachi no kuni” and “koto”. The formed phrase literally means ‘things about our country’ in Japanese.
- hanashi – 話し (はなし) : one conjugation of the verb, “hanasu”, which means ‘to talk about’, ‘to talk with’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
This is a typical usage of “no koto”. In this example, it works after “boku tachi no kuni” to make the noun phrase which means “things about our country” in Japanese. When we want to say “a thing of”, “a thing about”, or such in Japanese, this combination is a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “koto”. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- koto – 事 (こと) : a noun meaning ‘thing’, ‘matter’, ‘event’, ‘affair’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Japanese people normally use this noun to refer to an inanimate thing which they cannot see. It is often an event, act, or idea of something. In this regard, this noun is very different from the similar one, “mono”, which often refers to something they can visually observe.
How to use:
- a verb + koto: we need to add “koto” after a verb which we want to turn into its noun phrase. The verb doesn’t have to be conjugated.
- an adjective + koto: we need to add “koto” after an adjective which we want to turn into its noun phrase. The adjective doesn’t have to be conjugated, no matter what type it is.
- a sentence + koto: we need to add “koto” after a sentence which we want to turn into a noun clause in a sentence.
- a noun or noun equivalent word + no + koto: we need to use “no koto” after a noun or noun equivalent word to say “a thing of something”, “a thing about something”, or such in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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