What does “mochiron” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “mochiron” to mean ‘of course’, ‘for sure’, ‘definitely’, ‘absolutely’, or ‘needless to say’ 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 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 “mochiron” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “mochiron”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “mochiron”.
- mochiron – 勿論 (もちろん) : an adverb meaning ‘of course’, ‘for sure’, ‘definitely’, ‘absolutely’, or ‘needless to say’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this adverb in a sentence when they are very certain what has happened, what is going to happen, or what is true. So, its usage is very similar to those of the English words written above.
The definition and meanings are not so difficult, I think. The meanings seem to have similar concepts. To understand this adverb more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Mochiron in kanji
The kanji expression of “mochiron” consists of the following two characters:
- 勿 : a kanji character used to add the meaning of ‘not to do’, ‘must not’, or such.
- 論 : a kanji character used to express the act of discussing or arguing.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “mochiron” literally means ‘not to discuss’, ‘must not discuss’, or such in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. When people are very certain what is true, they don’t have to discuss it.
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 “mochiron” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “mochiron” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “of course” in Japanese
mochiron boku wa kanojo ga suki desu – 勿論僕は彼女が好きです (もちろんぼくはかのじょがすきです)
Of course I love her.
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.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ 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 “kanojo” to make the object in the sentence.
- suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation 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, actually, 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 “mochiron”. In this example, it works at the beginning of the sentence to say “of course” in Japanese. When we are very certain what is true, we can use this adverb to express it.
Example #2: another usage of “mochiron”
kanojo wa mochiron sore wo shira nai – 彼女はもちろんそれを知らない (かのじょはもちろんそれをしらない)
Of course she doesn’t know it.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- sore – それ : a demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘that’, ‘it’, or such in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “sore” to make the object in the sentence.
- shira – 知ら (しら) : one conjugation of the verb, “shiru”, which means ‘to know’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese nai form. In the example, this is used after “shira” to deny its meaning, ‘to know’.
This is another typical usage of “mochiron”. It is an adverb, so can work in almost anywhere in a sentence to say “of course” in Japanese. It’s also worth mentioning here that even native speakers use the hiragana expression quite often.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “mochiron” 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.
- mochiron – 勿論 (もちろん) : an adverb meaning ‘of course’, ‘for sure’, ‘definitely’, ‘absolutely’, or ‘needless to say’ in Japanese. Native speakers use this in a sentence when they are very certain what has happened, what is going to happen, or what is true. So, its usage is very similar to those of the English words above. It’s also worth mentioning here that even native speakers use the hiragana expression quite often.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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