Mabushii is the Japanese word for ‘dazzling’ or ‘glaring’, explained

What does “mabushii” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “mabushii” to mean ‘dazzling’, ‘glaring’, or just ‘bright’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “mabushii” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “mabushii”
  • Example #1: how to say “dazzling” in Japanese
• Mabushikunai: the nai form of “mabushii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not dazzling” in Japanese
• Mabushikatta: the ta form of “mabushii”
  • Example #3: how to say “was dazzling” in Japanese
• Mabushikute: the te form of “mabushii”
  • Example #4: how to say “dazzling and” in Japanese
• Mabushikereba: the ba form of “mabushii”
  • Example #5: how to say “if dazzling” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “mabushii”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “mabushii”.

• mabushii – 眩しい (まぶしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘dazzling’, ‘glaring’, or just ‘bright’ in Japanese.

Native speakers use this i-adjective to describe something very bright which they do not want to see directly. So, its usage is similar to those of the English adjectives above, I think.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• taiyou – 太陽 (たいよう) : a noun meaning ‘the sun’ 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 “taiyou” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “mabushii”. In this example, it works as a complement. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “mabushii taiyou” to mean ‘dazzling sun’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing, I think. Anyway, when we want to say “dazzling” in Japanese, this i-adjective is a good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “mabushii” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “mabushikunai”.

Mabushikunai: the nai form of “mabushii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “mabushikunai”.

• mabushikunai – 眩しくない (まぶしくない) : the nai form of “mabushii”, which means ‘not dazzling’, ‘not glaring’, or ‘not bright’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “mabushikunai” consists of the following two parts:

• mabushiku – 眩しく (まぶしく) : one conjugation of “mabushii”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.

From these two parts, we can understand that “mabushikunai” is literally the nai form of “mabushii” and means ‘not dazzling’, ‘not glaring’, or ‘not bright’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not dazzling” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works as a topic marker after “kyou” to put a focus on it.

This is a typical usage of “mabushikunai”. When we want to mean ‘not dazzling’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.

Mabushikatta: the ta form of “mabushii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “mabushikatta”.

• mabushikatta – 眩しかった (まぶしかった) : the ta form of “mabushii”, which means ‘was dazzling’, ‘was glaring’, ‘was bright’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “mabushikatta” consists of the following two parts:

• mabushikat – 眩しかっ (まぶしかっ) : one conjugation of “mabushii”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “mabushikatta” is literally the ta form of “mabushii” and means ‘was dazzling’, ‘was glaring’, ‘was bright’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was dazzling” in Japanese

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 almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works together with “wa” to make the adverb phrase in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works to emphasize the meaning of its following word.

This is a typical usage of “mabushikatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “mabushii”, this ta form is the best option.

Mabushikute: the te form of “mabushii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “mabushikute”.

• mabushikute – 眩しくて (まぶしくて) : the te form of “mabushii”, which means ‘dazzling’, ‘glaring’, or ‘bright’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “mabushikute” consists of the following two parts:

• mabushiku – 眩しく (まぶしく) : one conjugation of “mabushii”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “mabushikute” is literally the te form of “mabushii”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “mabushikute” is very useful when we want to use “mabushii” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “dazzling and” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• atsui – 熱い (あつい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘hot’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “mabushikute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “atsui”. When we want to use “mabushii” in front of another adjective like this, its te form is very useful.

Mabushikereba: the ba form of “mabushii”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “mabushikereba”.

• mabushikereba – 眩しければ (まぶしければ) : the ba form of “mabushii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘dazzling’, ‘glaring’, or ‘bright’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “mabushikereba” consists of the following two parts:

• mabushikere – 眩しけれ (まぶしけれ) : one conjugation of “mabushii”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “mabushikereba” is literally the ba form of “mabushii”. In Japanese, ba-formed words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “mabushikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘dazzling’, ‘glaring’, or ‘bright’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if dazzling” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• megane – 眼鏡 (めがね) : a noun meaning ‘glasses’ or ‘eyewear’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “megane” to make the object in the sentence.
• kake – かけ : one conjugation of the verb, “kakeru”, which means ‘to hang’, ‘to hook’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work as an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works as an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of “mabushikereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “taiyou ga mabushikereba”, which means ‘if the sun is dazzling’. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘dazzling’ in Japanese, this ba form is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “mabushii” and its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• mabushii – 眩しい (まぶしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘dazzling’, ‘glaring’, or just ‘bright’ in Japanese.
• mabushikunai – 眩しくない (まぶしくない) : the nai form of “mabushii”, which means ‘not dazzling’, ‘not glaring’, or ‘not bright’ in Japanese.
• mabushikatta – 眩しかった (まぶしかった) : the ta form of “mabushii”, which means ‘was dazzling’, ‘was glaring’, ‘was bright’, or such in Japanese.
• mabushikute – 眩しくて (まぶしくて) : the te form of “mabushii”, which means ‘dazzling’, ‘glaring’, or ‘bright’ in Japanese.
• mabushikereba – 眩しければ (まぶしければ) : the ba form of “mabushii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘dazzling’, ‘glaring’, or ‘bright’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.