What does “mezurashii” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “mezurashii” to mean ‘rare’ 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 it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “mezurashii” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “mezurashii”
- Mezurashikunai: the nai form of “mezurashii”
- Mezurashikatta: the ta form of “mezurashii”
- Mezurashikute: the te form of “mezurashii”
- Mezurashikereba: the ba form of “mezurashii”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “mezurashii”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “mezurashii”.
- mezurashii – 珍しい (めずらしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘rare’, ‘uncommon’, or ‘unusual’ in Japanese.
Japanese native speakers use this i-adjective to describe something which they cannot find very often or something which doesn’t happen very often.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “rare” in Japanese
boku no kuruma wa mezurashii – 僕の車は珍しい (ぼくのくるまはめずらしい)
My car is rare.
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.
- kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ 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 kuruma” to make the subject in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “mezurashii”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, this can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “boku no mezurashii kuruma” to mean ‘my rare car’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “mezurashii” 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 “mezurashikunai”.
Mezurashikunai: the nai form of “mezurashii”
Below are the definition and meanings of “mezurashikunai”.
- mezurashikunai – 珍しくない (めずらしくない) : the nai form of “mezurashii”, which means ‘not rare’, ‘not uncommon’, or ‘not unusual’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “mezurashikunai” consists of the following two parts:
- mezurashiku – 珍しく (めずらしく) : one conjugation of “mezurashii”. 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 “mezurashikunai” is literally the nai form of “mezurashii” and means ‘not rare’, ‘not uncommon’, or ‘not unusual’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not rare” in Japanese
kono kuni de niji wa mezurashikunai – この国で虹は珍しくない (このくにでにじはめずらしくない)
Rainbows are not rare in this country.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “kuni” to say “this country” in Japanese.
- kuni – 国 (くに) : a noun meaning ‘country’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- de – で : a case particle used to say where something happens. In the example, this is used after “kono kuni” to say where rainbows are not rare.
- niji – 虹 (にじ) : a noun meaning ‘rainbow’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “mezurashikunai”. When we want to mean ‘not rare’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Mezurashikatta: the ta form of “mezurashii”
Below are the definition and meanings of “mezurashikatta”.
- mezurashikatta – 珍しかった (めずらしかった) : the ta form of “mezurashii”, which means ‘was rare’, ‘was uncommon’, ‘was unusual’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “mezurashikatta” consists of the following two parts:
- mezurashikat – 珍しかっ (めずらしかっ) : one conjugation of “mezurashii”. 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 “mezurashikatta” is literally the ta form of “mezurashii” and means ‘was rare’, ‘was uncommon’, ‘was unusual’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “were rare” in Japanese
kono kuni de kyodaina arashi wa mezurashikatta – この国で巨大な嵐は珍しかった (このくにできょだいなあらしはめずらしかった)
Huge storms were rare in this country.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kyodaina – 巨大な (きょだいな) : a na-adjective meaning ‘huge’ or such in Japanese.
- arashi – 嵐 (あらし) : a noun meaning ‘storm’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “mezurashikatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “mezurashii”, this ta form is the best option.
Mezurashikute: the te form of “mezurashii”
Below are the definition and meanings of “mezurashikute”.
- mezurashikute – 珍しくて (めずらしくて) : the te form of “mezurashii”, which means ‘rare’, ‘uncommon’, or ‘unusual’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “mezurashikute” consists of the following two parts:
- mezurashiku – 珍しく (めずらしく) : one conjugation of “mezurashii”. 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 “mezurashikute” is literally the te form of “mezurashii”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “mezurashikute” is very useful when we want to use “mezurashii” 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 “rare and” in Japanese
kono ishi wa mezurashikute takai – この石は珍しくて高い (このいしはめずらしくてたかい)
This stone is rare and expensive.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- ishi – 石 (いし) : a noun meaning ‘stone’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- takai – 高い (たかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘expensive’ or ‘high’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “mezurashikute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “takai”. When we want to use “mezurashii” in front of another adjective, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Mezurashikereba: the ba form of “mezurashii”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “mezurashikereba”.
- mezurashikereba – 珍しければ (めずらしければ) : the ba form of “mezurashii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘rare’, ‘uncommon’, or ‘unusual’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “mezurashikereba” consists of the following two parts:
- mezurashikere – 珍しけれ (めずらしけれ) : one conjugation of “mezurashii”. 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 “mezurashikereba” is literally the ba form of “mezurashii”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “mezurashikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘rare’, ‘uncommon’, or ‘unusual’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “if rare” in Japanese
byouki ga mezurashikereba, senmon byouin ni it te kudasai – 病気が珍しければ、専門病院に行ってください (びょうきがめずらしければ、せんもんびょういんにいってください)
If the disease is rare, please go to a specialized hospital.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- byouki – 病気 (びょうき) : a noun meaning ‘disease’, ‘ill’, or such 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 “byouki” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
- senmon – 専門 (せんもん) : a noun meaning ‘speciality’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. In the example, this works like an adjective to describe the following noun with meaning ‘specialized’.
- byouin – 病院 (びょういん) : a noun meaning ‘hospital’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “senmon byouin” to say where the lister should go.
- it – 行っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku“, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : the same as used in “mezurashikute”. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its te form, “it te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
- 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 like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “it te” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “mezurashikereba”. In this example, it makes the conditional clause which means ‘if the disease is rare’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘rare’, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “mezurashii” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- mezurashii – 珍しい (めずらしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘rare’, ‘uncommon’, or ‘unusual’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
- mezurashikunai – 珍しくない (めずらしくない) : the nai form of “mezurashii”, which means ‘not rare’, ‘not uncommon’, or ‘not unusual’ in Japanese.
- mezurashikatta – 珍しかった (めずらしかった) : the ta form of “mezurashii”, which means ‘was rare’, ‘was uncommon’, ‘was unusual’, or such in Japanese.
- mezurashikute – 珍しくて (めずらしくて) : the te form of “mezurashii”, which means ‘rare’, ‘uncommon’, or ‘unusual’ in Japanese. When we want to use “mezurashii” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- mezurashikereba – 珍しければ (めずらしければ) : the ba form of “mezurashii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘rare’, ‘uncommon’, or ‘unusual’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.