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By Masaki Mori

Kuchi is the Japanese word for ‘mouth’, explained

What does “kuchi” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “kuchi” to mean ‘mouth’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail together with its kanji character. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “kuchi” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

Definition and meaning of “kuchi”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “kuchi”.

Native speakers use this noun often to refer to someone’s mouth in Japanese. Sometimes, however, they use it as a metaphor for a hole, gate, opening, exit, or even the act of speaking. Knowing these usages would help Japanese learners better understand real Japanese conversations.

The kanji character of “kuchi” originally came from the shape of a mouth. Honestly, it looks more similar to a rectangle, but this is the origin of this kanji.

The definition and meaning are not that difficult, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this noun through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “mouth” in Japanese

watashi no kuchi wa chiisai desu – 私の口は小さいです (わたしのくちはちいさいです)

My mouth is small.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

  • watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
  • no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
  • wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi no kuchi” to make the subject in the sentence.
  • chiisai – 小さい (ちいさい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘small’ 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 “chiisai” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “kuchi”. In the example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “watashi no kuchi”, which means ‘my mouth’ in Japanese.

Example #2: another usage of “kuchi”

「shinin ni kuchi nashi」to kare ga it ta– 「死人に口なし」と彼が言った (「しにんにくちなし」とかれがいった)

“Dead men tell no tales,” he said.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

  • shinin – 死人 (しにん) : a noun meaning ‘dead man’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
  • ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something is. In the example, this is used after “shinin” to indicate where no mouth is.
  • nashi – なし : one old conjugation of the i-adjective, “nai“, which is used to say something does not exist. In the example, this is used to deny the existence of a mouth.
  • to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what he said.
  • kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ 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 “kare” to make the subject in the sentence.
  • it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu“, which means ‘to say’, ‘to tell’, 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. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form.

This is another typical usage of “kuchi”. In the example, it works as a part of the proverb, “shinin ni kuchi nashi”, which means ‘dead men tell no tales’ in Japanese. The literal interpretation of the proverb is more like “no mouth exists on the dead men (or the dead men’s faces)”, but it is normally translated as ‘dead men tell no tales’.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “kuchi” in detail together with its kanji character. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

  • kuchi – 口 (くち) : a noun meaning ‘mouth’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun often to refer to someone’s mouth in Japanese. Sometimes, however, they use it as a metaphor for a hole, gate, opening, exit, or even the act of speaking. Knowing these usages would help Japanese learners better understand real Japanese conversations. The kanji character originally came from the shape of a mouth. Honestly, it looks more similar to a rectangle, but this is the origin of this kanji.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.

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