What does “masaka” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “masaka” to mean ‘it can’t be’, ‘how can it be’, ‘no way’, or such in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese movies, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain its definitions and meanings. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “masaka” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definitions and meanings of “masaka”
Let me start with the definitions and meanings of “masaka”.
- masaka – まさか : a noun, but often used as an adverb to mean ‘it can’t be’, ‘how can it be’, or ‘no way’ in Japanese.
Native speakers often use this as an adverb to say “it can’t be”, “how can it be”, or “no way” in Japanese. It can work to describe something which has been considered impossible, but is highly likely to happen. It’s also worth mentioning that this can also work to emphasize extremely the meaning of a sentence. In that case, this is often translated into English as ‘never’, ‘really’, or such.
The definitions and meanings are not so difficult, I think. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “no way!” in Japanese
masaka! kare ga gakkou wo yame ta no? – まさか！彼が学校を辞めたの？ (まさか！かれががっこうをやめたの？)
No way! He dropped out of school?
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ 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 “kare” to make the subject word in the second sentence.
- gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “gakkou” to make the object word in the second sentence.
- yame – 辞め (やめ) : one conjugation of the verb, “yameru”, which means ‘to quit’, ‘to leave’, or such 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. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “yame” to make its past tense form, “yame ta”.
- no – の : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question. As its definition suggests, this is used at the end of the second sentence to make the question.
This is a typical usage of “masaka”. In this example, it works more like an interjection rather than an adverb to say “no way!” in Japanese. When we want to say “it can’t be”, “how can it be”, or “no way” in Japanese, this word is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “masaka”
masaka kanojo ga uso wo tsuku to omowa nakat ta – まさか彼女が嘘をつくと思わなかった (まさかかのじょがうそをつくとおもわなかった)
I never thought she told me a lie.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- uso – 嘘 (うそ) : a noun meaning ‘lie’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- tsuku – つく : a verb meaning ‘to let something out of someone’s mouth’ or just ‘to say’ in Japanese. In the example, this works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “uso wo tsuku”, which means ‘to tell a lie’ in Japanese.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo ga uso wo tsuku” to indicate what the speaker thought.
- omowa – 思わ (おもわ) : one conjugation of the verb, “omou”, which means ‘to think’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- nakat – なかっ : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “nai“, which is used to deny the meaning of its preceding verb or adjective. In the example, this is used to deny the meaning of the preceding verb which means ‘to think’ in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “masaka”. In this example, it works to emphasize extremely the meaning of the sentence. It has been reflected in the translation as ‘never’.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “masaka” in detail. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- masaka – まさか : a noun, but often used as an adverb to mean ‘it can’t be’, ‘how can it be’, or ‘no way’ in Japanese. Native speakers often use this as an adverb to say “it can’t be”, “how can it be”, or “no way” in Japanese. This can work to describe something which has been considered impossible, but is highly likely to happen. It’s also worth mentioning that this can also work to emphasize extremely the meaning of a sentence. In that case, this is often translated into English as ‘never’, ‘really’, or such.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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