What does “mahou” mean in Japanese?
“Mahou” is not commonly used in Japanese conversations. Interestingly, however, many Japanese learners know this word as it is very often used in Japanese manga, anime, songs, and the like.
Native speakers say “mahou” to mean ‘magic’ or ‘sorcery’ in Japanese. In addition, they use it as a metaphor for an unbelievable method or way to do something. In this blog post, I will explain its definition and meanings 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 to understand “mahou” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “mahou”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “mahou”.
- mahou – 魔法 (まほう) : a noun meaning ‘magic’, ‘sorcery’, or such in Japanese.
Again, but Japanese people use this noun also as a metaphor for an unbelievable method or way to do something. So, we need to be a bit careful with the situation and context where it is used.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji expression in detail.
“Mahou” in kanji
The kanji expression of “mahou” consists of the following two characters:
- 魔 : a kanji character used to mean ‘devil’, ‘demon’, or something supernatural.
- 法 : a kanji character used to mean ‘law’, ‘method’, ‘process’, or such.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “mahou” means a method which the supernatural takes. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close. Magic is more or less a method or way which the supernatural takes to do something.
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 meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “mahou” through the detailed check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “mahou” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “magic” in Japanese
kanojo wa tokidoki mahou wo tsukau – 彼女は時々魔法を使う (かのじょはときどきまほうをつかう)
She sometimes uses magic.
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.
- tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “mahou” to make the object in the sentence.
- tsukau – 使う (つかう) : a verb meaning ‘to use’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “mahou”. In this example, it means ‘magic’ and works as the object in the sentence. When we want to say “magic” in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
Perhaps, “to case a spell” is much more natural as the translation than “to use magic”, but I’ve tried to keep the original nuance and meaning in this example sentence.
Example #2: another usage of “mahou”
kare no shigoto wa marude mahou desu – 彼の仕事はまるで魔法です (かれのしごとはまるでまほうです)
His work is like magic.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ 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 “kare” to make its possessive case, “kare no”, which means ‘his’ in Japanese.
- shigoto – 仕事 (しごと) : a noun meaning ‘work’ in Japanese.
- marude – まるで : an adverb meaning ‘like’, ‘as if’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works before “mahou” to add the meaning of ‘like’ 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 “mahou” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “mahou”. In this example, it works as a metaphor for his magic-like work. This usage as well is very similar to that of “magic” in English, so those who are familiar with English can easily understand this point, I think.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “mahou” and its kanji expression in detail. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- mahou – 魔法 (まほう) : a noun meaning ‘magic’, ‘sorcery’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as a metaphor for an unbelievable method or way to do something. These two kanji characters literally mean a method which the supernatural takes. Magic is more or less a method or way which the supernatural takes to do something. So, the kanji expression is very understandable.
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.
