What does “mimi” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “mimi” to mean ‘ear’ 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 this word in detail together with its kanji character. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “mimi” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “mimi”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “mimi”.
- mimi – 耳 (みみ) : a noun meaning ‘ear’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers often use this noun to mean an ‘ear’ or ‘ears’ in Japanese. In addition, they occasionally use this as a metaphor for something far from the center. Indeed, ears are far from the center of a face, so this usage is still understandable, I think.
The kanji character of “mimi” originally came from the shape of an ear. Honestly, I’m not sure if it really looks so, but this is the origin.
The definition and meaning of “mimi” are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “ears” in Japanese
kanojo wa watashi no mimi ga suki desu – 彼女は私の耳が好きです (かのじょはわたしのみみがすきです)
She loves my ears.
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.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ 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 “watashi no mimi” to make the object in the sentence.
- suki – 好き (すき) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the 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 “mimi”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “watashi no mimi”, which means ‘my ears’ in Japanese. When we want to mean an ‘ear’ or ‘ears’ in Japanese, this noun is always a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “mimi”
watashi wa pan no mimi ga suki desu – 私はパンの耳が好きです (わたしはぱんのみみがすきです)
I love bread crusts.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- pan – パン (ぱん) : a noun meaning ‘bread’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “pan” and “mimi”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the ears of bread’ in Japanese. It has been translated as “bread crusts”, though. 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”.
This is another typical usage of “mimi”. In this example, it works as a metaphor for bread crusts which are far from the center of bread. “Pan no mimi” is a commonly-used phrase which means ‘bread crusts’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing, I think.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “mimi” in detail together with its kanji character. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- mimi – 耳 (みみ) : a noun meaning ‘ear’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers often use this noun to mean an ‘ear’ or ‘ears’ in Japanese. In addition, they occasionally use this as a metaphor for something far from the center. Indeed, ears are far from the center of a face, so this usage is still understandable, I think.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
