Lake in Japanese: mizuumi, explained based on its pronunciation

How to say “lake” in Japanese

Japanese people would say “mizuumi”. It is the Japanese word for ‘lake’. Very simple, I think. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its pronunciation. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “mizuumi”
• Pronunciation of “mizuumi”
  • Example #1: how to say “lake” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “mizuumi”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “mizuumi”

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

• mizuumi – 湖 (みずうみ) : a noun meaning ‘lake’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Its definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its pronunciation in detail.

Pronunciation of “mizuumi”

The pronunciation of “mizuumi” consists of the following two parts:

• mizu – this is the same pronunciation as the noun meaning ‘water’.
• umi – this is the same pronunciation as the noun meaning ‘sea’.

From these two components, we can understand that “mizuumi” exactly means ‘water sea’. This concept is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. A lake is a large area like the sea filled with water.

Then, let me explain how to use “mizuumi” through the example sentences below.

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

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, it is used after “kanojo” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• he – へ : a case particle used to indicate a particular place to which someone or something goes. In the example, it is used after “mizuumi” to indicate the particular place to which she went.
• iki – 行き (いき) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku”, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “masu”, which is used after a verb to make it polite. In the example, this is used after “iki” to make it sound polite.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, auxiliary verb, or phrase to make its past tense form. Probably this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after the verb phrase, “iki mashi”, to make its past tense form.

This is a typical usage of “mizuumi”. When we want to say “lake” in Japanese, this word is the best choice in most cases.

Example #2: another usage of “mizuumi”

Below are the new words and particle used in the example sentence.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun which refers to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “mizuumi” to say “this lake” in Japanese.
• wa – は : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is used after the noun phrase, “kono mizuumi”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, ‘pretty’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this is used to emphasize the meaning of its following word, “kirei”.
• kirei – 綺麗 (きれい) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “kireina”, which means ‘beautiful’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. In the example, this is used after “kirei” to make it sound polite.
• ne – ね : a sentence-ending particle used to make listener’s agreement in a soft way. As its definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to make listener’s agreement. It has been reflected as “isn’t it?” in translation.

This is another typical usage of “mizuumi”. In this example, it is used as a part of the noun phrase, “kono mizuumi”, which means ‘this lake’ in Japanese.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the word, “mizuumi”, in detail based on its pronunciation. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• mizuumi – 湖 (みずうみ) : a noun meaning ‘lake’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. This pronunciation consists of the two parts: “mizu” and “umi”. The first one means ‘water’ in Japanese; the second means ‘sea’. So, this word means ‘water sea’. In the Japanese language, a lake is a large area like the sea filled with water.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.