Memeshii is the Japanese word for ‘sissy’, explained

What does “memeshii” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “memeshii” to mean ‘sissy’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “memeshii” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “memeshii”
  • Example #1: how to say “sissy” in Japanese
• Memeshikunai: the nai form of “memeshii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not sissy” in Japanese
• Memeshikatta: the ta form of “memeshii”
  • Example #3: how to say “was sissy” in Japanese
• Memeshikute: the te form of “memeshii”
  • Example #4: how to say “sissy and” in Japanese
• Memeshikereba: the ba form of “memeshii”
  • Example #5: how to say “if sissy” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “memeshii”

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

• memeshii – 女々しい (めめしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘sissy’ in Japanese.

This kanji expression contains two different kanji characters. The first one means a ‘woman’ in Japanese and the second one can work as an iteration mark. So, the kanji characters literally mean a ‘woman and woman’ in Japanese. Perhaps, this kanji concept represents well those who are considered sissy.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its possessive case, “boku no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• otouto – 弟 (おとうと) : a noun meaning ‘little brother’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku no otouto” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “memeshii”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “boku no memeshii otouto” to mean ‘my sissy little brother’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “memeshii” 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 “memeshikunai”.

Memeshikunai: the nai form of “memeshii”

Below are the definition and meaning of “memeshikunai”.

• memeshikunai – 女々しくない (めめしくない) : the nai form of “memeshii”, which means ‘not sissy’ in Japanese.

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

• memeshiku – 女々しく (めめしく) : one conjugation of “memeshii”. 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 similar to that of “not”.

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

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

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• zenzen – 全然 (ぜんぜん) : an adverb which can work in a negative sentence to mean ‘at all’ or such in Japanese.

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

Memeshikatta: the ta form of “memeshii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “memeshikatta”.

• memeshikatta – 女々しかった (めめしかった) : the ta form of “memeshii”, which means ‘was sissy’, ‘were sissy’, or such in Japanese.

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

• memeshikat – 女々しかっ (めめしかっ) : one conjugation of “memeshii”. 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 “memeshikatta” is literally the ta form of “memeshii” and means ‘was sissy’, ‘were sissy’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’, ‘also’, or ‘as well’. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
• mukashi – 昔 (むかし) : a noun meaning ‘past’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to mean ‘before’ in Japanese.

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

Memeshikute: the te form of “memeshii”

Below are the definition and meaning of “memeshikute”.

• memeshikute – 女々しくて (めめしくて) : the te form of “memeshii”, which means ‘sissy’ in Japanese.

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

• memeshiku – 女々しく (めめしく) : one conjugation of “memeshii”. 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 “memeshikute” is literally the te form of “memeshii”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “memeshikute” is very useful when we want to use “memeshii” 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 “sissy and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• yowai – 弱い (よわい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘weak’ in Japanese.

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

Memeshikereba: the ba form of “memeshii”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “memeshikereba”.

• memeshikereba – 女々しければ (めめしければ) : the ba form of “memeshii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘sissy’ in Japanese.

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

• memeshikere – 女々しけれ (めめしけれ) : one conjugation of “memeshii”. 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 “memeshikereba” is literally the ba form of “memeshii”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “memeshikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘sissy’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kimi – 君 (きみ) : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ 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 “kimi” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• eiyū – 英雄 (えいゆう) : a noun meaning ‘hero’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say what someone or something becomes after a change or action. In the example, this is used after “eiyū” to say what the listener cannot become.
• nare – なれ : one conjugation of the potential verb, “nareru”, which means ‘can become’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• nai – ない : the same as used in “memeshikunai”. In this example, this is used after “nare” to deny its meaning.

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

Summary

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

• memeshii – 女々しい (めめしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘sissy’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• memeshikunai – 女々しくない (めめしくない) : the nai form of “memeshii”, which means ‘not sissy’ in Japanese.
• memeshikatta – 女々しかった (めめしかった) : the ta form of “memeshii”, which means ‘was sissy’, ‘were sissy’, or such in Japanese.
• memeshikute – 女々しくて (めめしくて) : the te form of “memeshii”, which means ‘sissy’ in Japanese. When we want to use “memeshii” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• memeshikereba – 女々しければ (めめしければ) : the ba form of “memeshii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘sissy’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.