Kotoba meaning ‘word’, ‘phrase’ or ‘language’ in Japanese

Japanese people often use the word, “kotoba”, meaning ‘word’, ‘phrase’ or ‘language’ in Japanese. In this blog post, I will explain it in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain its related expression. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of kotoba
• Example of kotoba meaning ‘words’
• Example of kotoba meaning ‘language’
• Related expression: kotoba zukai
• Summary

Definition and meanings of kotoba

First of all, let me start with a definition and meanings of “kotoba”.

• kotoba – 言葉 (ことば) : a noun meaning ‘word’, ‘phrase’ or ‘language’ in Japanese.

Its definition and meanings are very simple, but its kanji expression could look a bit difficult for Japanese learners. So, here, let me explain these two kanji characters one by one.

• 言 – a kanji character widely used in Japanese words related to the act of saying.
• 葉 – a kanji character normally used to mean ‘leaf’ or ‘leaves’. It can also be used as a metaphor for a piece or pieces of something.

From these kanji characters, we can understand that the word, “kotoba”, literally means a piece of what we say. This concept is highly related to its meanings, namely, ‘word’, ‘phrase’ or ‘language’.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji components in detail. It would help us a lot in order to understand their meanings deeply. Actually, here, it helped us to have a deeper understanding of the concept and meanings of “kotoba”.

Example of kotoba meaning ‘words’

Below are new words used in the example.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case maker or topic maker. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• aimaina – 曖昧な (あいまいな) : a na-adjective meaning ‘vague’, ‘ambiguous’ or some such in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle put after a noun to make the object word. In the example, it is put after the noun, “kotoba”, to make the object word in the sentence. It’s written as “wo”, but its actual pronunciation is “o”.
• tsukawa – 使わ (つかわ) : one conjugation of the verb, “tsukau”, meaning ‘to use’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb put after a verb or adjective to deny its meaning. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “tsukawa”, to deny its meaning. For Japanese learners, it is well known for a part of Japanese nai form, perhaps.

This is a typical use of “kotoba” meaning ‘words’. The Japanese phrase, “aimaina kotoba”, has the idiomatic meaning, “ambiguous words”. So, we can easily understand it means ‘words’ here. Depending on context, however, it can mean ‘phrase’ or ‘language’.

Example of kotoba meaning ‘language’

Below are new words.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle put after a noun to make its possessive case. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kanojo”, to make its possessive case, “kanojo no”, which means ‘her’.
• hanasu – 話す (はなす) : a verb meaning ‘to speak’ or ‘to talk’. In the example, it is put before the noun, “kotoba”, to describe it.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word. In the example, it is put after the noun, “kotoba”, to make the object word in the sentence.
• wakara – 分から (わから) : one conjugation of the verb, “wakaru“, meaning ‘to see’ or ‘to understand’. In the example, it has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word, “nai“.

This is a typical usage of “kotoba” meaning ‘language’. The Japanese phrase, “no hanasu kotoba”, is often translated as “one’s language”. This is a kind of idiomatic meaning.

Related expression: kotoba zukai

To tell the truth, there are a lot of related expressions of “kotoba”. One of the most widely used expressions would be “kotoba zukai”.

• kotobazukai – 言葉使い/言葉遣い (ことばづかい) : a noun meaning ‘wording’ or ‘choice of words’ in Japanese.

It has two different kanji expressions, but both have the same pronunciation. “使い” and “遣い” are often used in Japanese words related to the act of using. So, “kotobazukai” literally means ‘use of words’. It can be understood as ‘wording’ or ‘choice of words’. Below is an example.

Below are new words.

• ni – に : a case particle often used to indicate a place to which someone or something goes. Based on this concept, it can also be used to indicate an object to which something goes. In the example, it is put after the noun, “kotobazukai”, to indicate the object to which ‘care’ is heading.
• chui suru – 注意する (ちゅういする) : a verb meaning ‘to care’ or ‘to take care’ in Japanese. It is a verb form of the noun, “chui”, meaning ‘care’ or ‘attention’.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the word, “kotoba”, in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained its examples and its related expression. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kotoba – 言葉 (ことば) : a noun meaning ‘word’, ‘phrase’ or ‘language’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean a piece of what we say. It can be understood as ‘word’, ‘phrase’ or ‘language’.
• kotobazukai – 言葉使い/言葉遣い (ことばづかい) : a noun meaning ‘wording’ or ‘choice of words’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.