What does “kurage” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “kurage” to mean ‘jellyfish’ in Japanese. Very simple, I think. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expressions. Honestly speaking, I love the kanji expressions very much as they are unique and funny. And in addition, I will explain how to use “kurage” through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand this word more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “kurage”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “kurage”.
- kurage – 海月/水母 (くらげ) : a noun meaning ‘jellyfish’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Its definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. As you can see, however, it has the two different kanji expressions. These are what I want to focus on in this blog post. Both are very funny to me. I believe they will also be funny to Japanese learners.
Then, let me explain the kanji expressions, one by one.
“Kurage” in kanji
The first kanji expression of “kurage” consists of the following two characters:
- 海 : a kanji character used to mean ‘sea’ or ‘ocean’ in Japanese.
- 月 : a kanji character used to mean ‘moon’ or ‘month’ in Japanese.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that the first kanji expression of “kurage” literally means ‘sea moon’ in Japanese. So, Japanese people in the past described jellyfish as the moon reflected on the sea. This idea is very cool, isn’t it? To be honest, jellyfish are not as beautiful as the moon reflected on the sea, but this is a great metaphor, I think.
The second kanji expression of “kurage” consists of the following two characters:
- 水 : a kanji character used to mean ‘water’ in Japanese.
- 母 : a kanji character used to mean ‘mother’ in Japanese.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that the second kanji expression of “kurage” literally means ‘water mother’ in Japanese. Perhaps, Japanese people in the past thought that jellyfish were animals absorbing water in the sea and discharging it on the shore. So, they used the kanji character for a mother as a metaphor for this nature. This idea is a bit eccentric, but I love their sense of metaphor.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “kurage” and its two kanji expressions in detail. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “jellyfish” in Japanese
kinou watashi tachi wa kurage wo tabe ta – 昨日私達は海月を食べた (きのうわたしたちはくらげをたべた)
Yesterday, we ate jellyfish.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its plural form, “watashi tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kurage” to make the object in the sentence.
- tabe – 食べ (たべ) : one conjugation of the verb, “taberu“, which means ‘to eat’ 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 “tabe” to make its past tense form, “tabe ta”.
This is a typical usage of “kurage”. In this example, it works as the object word in the sentence.
Example #2: another usage of “kurage”
kurage wa kawaii desu ne – 海月は可愛いですね (くらげはかわいいですね)
Jellyfish are cute.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kawaii – 可愛い (かわいい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘cute’ 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 “kawaii” to make it sound polite.
- ne – ね : a sentence-ending particle used to ask for confirmation, express exclamation softly, or express agreement. In the example, this is used at the end of the sentence to express the exclamation softly.
This is another typical usage of “kurage”. Anyway, when we want to say “jellyfish” in Japanese, this word is the best choice.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “kurage” and its kanji expressions in detail. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- kurage – 海月/水母 (くらげ) : a noun meaning ‘jellyfish’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. The first kanji expression literally means ‘sea moon’; the second means ‘water mother’. Both ideas are very unique and funny. Japanese people in the past had a good sense of metaphor.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
Learn more vocabulary on the app!
You can improve your Japanese vocabulary with our flashcards.
