How to say “memory” in Japanese
Japanese native speakers would say “kioku”. It is the Japanese word for ‘memory’. In this blog post, I will explain it in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain its verb form which means ‘to remember’ in Japanese. In the latter part of this post, I will compare “kioku” and “omoide” to explain their difference. Let’s get started!Contents
- Definition and meaning of “kioku”
- Kanji characters used in “kioku”
- Example #1: how to say “memory” in Japanese
- Definition and meaning of “kioku suru”
- Example #2: how to use “kioku suru”
- Difference between “kioku” and “omoide”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “kioku”
First of all, let me start with the definition and meaning of “kioku”.- kioku – 記憶 (きおく) : a noun meaning ‘memory’ in Japanese. Depending on context, it can also be used as a plural noun meaning ‘memories’ in Japanese.
To understand “kioku” a bit more clearly, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Kanji characters used in “kioku”
Below are the ones.- 記 – a kanji character widely used in Japanese words related to the act of writing or recording.
- 憶 – a kanji character used in Japanese words related to the act of remembering or memorizing.
Then, let me explain how to use “kioku” through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “memory” in Japanese
watashi no kioku wa aimai desu – 私の記憶は曖昧です (わたしのきおくはあいまいです)
My memory is vague.
My memory is vague.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle put after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “watashi”, to make its possessive case, “watashi no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese. Learn more about “watashi no”.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is put after the noun, “kioku”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
- aimai – 曖昧 (あいまい) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “aimaina”, which means ‘vague’ or ‘ambiguous’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb put after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, it is well known for a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated na-adjective, “aimai”, to make it sound polite.
In this example, “kioku” is used as a noun. But, in reality, Japanese native speakers quite often use its verb form which means ‘to remember’ in Japanese. Let me explain it as follows.
Definition and meaning of “kioku suru”
Below are the definition and meaning of the verb form of “kioku”.- kioku suru – 記憶する (きおくする) : a verb meaning ‘to remember’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can also mean ‘to learn’.
Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to use “kioku suru”
kanojo wa kare no denwa bangou wo kioku shi ta – 彼女は彼の電話番号を記憶した (かのじょはかれのでんわばんごうをきおくした)
She remembered his phone number.
She remembered his phone number.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a noun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- no – の : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to make its possessive case, “kare no”, which means ‘his’ in Japanese.
- denwa – 電話 (でんわ) : a noun meaning ‘phone’ in Japanese. Learn more about “denwa”.
- bangou – 番号 (ばんごう) : a noun meaning ‘number’ in Japanese. It is often used together with “denwa” to mean ‘phone number’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after the noun phrase, “denwa bangou”, to make the object word in the sentence. It is written as “wo”, but its actual pronunciation is “o”.
- kioku shi – 記憶し (きおくし) : one conjugation of the verb, “kioku suru”. Basically, its conjugations are subjected to those of “suru”. So, we can focus only on its latter part. In the example, it has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense. Probably, it is well known for a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “kioku shi”, to make its past tense.
So far, I’ve explained “kioku”, its verb form, and how to use them through the example sentences. Sometimes, “kioku” and its similar word, “omoide”, may be confused. So, let me explain the difference between “kioku” and “omoide”.
Difference between “kioku” and “omoide”
Below are the definition and meaning of “omoide”.- omoide – 思い出 (おもいで) : a noun meaning ‘memory’. It can also be used as a plural noun.
In most cases, “kioku” means just “one’s own memory”. On the other hand, “omoide” tends to mean ‘memory shared with someone else’. So, when we want talk about a memory shared with someone else, we should use “omoide” rather than “kioku”. In addition, “omoide” has a more nostalgic nuance. So, it is suitable for a nostalgic memory (or memories).
To see the difference between “kioku” and “omoide” a bit more clearly, let me compare the following two sentences.
watashi no kioku wa aimai desu – 私の記憶は曖昧です (わたしのきおくはあいまいです)
My memory is vague.
My memory is vague.
watashi no omoide wa aimai desu – 私の思い出は曖昧です (わたしの思い出はあいまいです)
My memory is vague.
My memory is vague.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “kioku” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained its verb form and the similar word, “omoide”. Let me summarize them as follows.- kioku – 記憶 (きおく) : a noun meaning ‘memory’ in Japanese. It can also be used as a plural noun. These two kanji character literally mean recording and remembering. This concept seems to be in line with its meaning.
- kioku suru – 記憶する (きおくする) : a verb meaning ‘to remember’ or ‘to learn’ in Japanese. Its conjugations are basically subjected to those of “suru”.
- omoide – 思い出 (おもいで) : a noun meaning ‘memory’. It can also be used as a plural noun. It tends to mean a nostalgic memory shared with someone else.
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