What does “mikan” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “mikan” to mean ‘satsuma orange’ or ‘mandarin orange’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word well as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word 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 “mikan” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “mikan”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “mikan”.
- mikan – 蜜柑 (みかん) : a noun meaning ‘satsuma orange’ or ‘mandarin orange’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Natives speakers use this noun to refer to a satsuma orange or oranges in Japanese. Its kanji expression is difficult not only for Japanese learners, but for natives as well. So, the hiragana expression is very acceptable. It’s also worth mentioning here that the katakana expression, “ミカン”, is sometimes used.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Mikan in kanji
The kanji expression of “mikan” consists of the following two characters:
- 蜜 : a kanji character used to mean ‘honey’.
- 柑 : a kanji character used to mean ‘citrus fruit’.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “mikan” means ‘citrus fruit like honey’. This literal interpretation seems to be in line with the meanings. Satsuma oranges or mandarin oranges are well known as sweet citrus fruits, I think.
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 “mikan” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “mikan” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “satsuma oranges” in Japanese
kanojo wa mikan ga suki desu – 彼女はみかんが好きです (かのじょはみかんがすきです)
She loves satsuma oranges.
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.
- 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 “mikan” to make the object word in the sentence.
- suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. Actually, in this example, this is used to mean ‘to love’.
- 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 “suki” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “mikan”. In the example, it works as plural to mean ‘satsuma oranges’. Honestly, I’m not sure how satsuma and mandarin are different. When we want to say “satsuma oranges” or “mandarin oranges” in Japanese, however, “mikan” is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “mikan”
boku no neko no namae wa mikan desu – 僕の猫の名前はみかんです (ぼくのねこのなまえはみかんです)
The name of my cat is Mikan.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is mainly used 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.
- neko – 猫 (ねこ) : a noun meaning ‘cat’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “neko” and “namae”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the name of a cat’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is very similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
- namae – 名前 (なまえ) : a noun meaning ‘name’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is another typical usage of “mikan”. Japanese people sometimes use it as a name for their pet. Even parents sometimes use it as a name for their child. So, the usage shown in this example sentence is common somehow.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “mikan” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- mikan – 蜜柑 (みかん) : a noun meaning ‘satsuma orange’ or ‘mandarin orange’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Natives speakers use this noun to refer to a satsuma orange or oranges in Japanese. Its kanji expression is difficult not only for Japanese learners, but for natives as well. So, the hiragana expression is very acceptable. It’s also worth mentioning here that the katakana expression, “ミカン”, is sometimes used. These two kanji characters mean ‘citrus fruit like honey’. This literal interpretation seems to be in line with the meanings. Satsuma oranges or mandarin oranges are well known as sweet citrus fruits, I think.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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