What does “kyojin” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “kyojin” to mean ‘giant’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, video games, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “kyojin” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “kyojin”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “kyojin”.
- kyojin – 巨人 (きょじん) : a noun meaning ‘giant’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to a physically very big man. In addition, they sometimes use this to describe a great person in a particular field. So, its usages are very similar to those of the English noun, “giant”, I think.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Kyojin in kanji
The kanji expression of “kyojin” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 巨 : a kanji character used to mean ‘gigantic’, ‘big’, ‘large’, or such in Japanese.
- 人 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘person’ in Japanese.
These two kanji characters tell us that “kyojin” literally means a ‘gigantic person’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is completely in line with the actual meaning.
When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “kyojin” through the detailed kanji check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “kyojin” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “giants” in Japanese
mukashi kono hoshi ni kyojin ga i ta – 昔この星に巨人がいた (むかしこのほしにきょじんがいた)
There were giants on this planet in the past.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- mukashi – 昔 (むかし) : a noun meaning ‘the past’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “in the past” in Japanese.
- kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this works before “hoshi” to say “this planet” in Japanese.
- hoshi – 星 (ほし) : a noun meaning ‘star’ or ‘planet’ 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 “kono hoshi” to say where the giants were.
- 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 “kyojin” to make the subject in the sentence.
- i – い : one conjugation of the verb, “iru“, which means ‘to be’ or ‘to present’ 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 “i” to make its past tense form, “i ta”.
This is a typical usage of “kyojin”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “ga”, to become the subject in the sentence. When we want to say “giant” or “giants” in Japanese, this noun is always a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “kyojin”
kanojo wa gendai ongaku no kyojin desu – 彼女は現代音楽の巨人です (かのじょはげんだいおんがくのきょじんです)
She is the giant of modern music.
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.
- gendai – 現代 (げんだい) : a noun meaning ‘modern times’ or such in Japanese.
- ongaku – 音楽 (おんがく) : a noun meaning ‘music’ in Japanese. In the example, this follows “gendai” to say “modern music” in Japanese.
- 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 “gendai ongaku” and “kyojin”. The formed phrase literally means a ‘giant of modern music’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
- 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 works after the noun phrase, “gendai ongaku no kyojin”, to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “kyojin”. In this example, it works as a metaphor for the person who is incredibly great in the field of modern music.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “kyojin” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- kyojin – 巨人 (きょじん) : a noun meaning ‘giant’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘gigantic person’ in Japanese. Japanese people use this noun to refer to a physically very big man. In addition, they sometimes use this as a metaphor for a great person in a particular field. So, the usages of this noun is very similar to those of the English one, “giant”.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
