What does “momo” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “momo” to mean ‘peach’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji character. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “momo” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “momo”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “momo”.
- momo – 桃 (もも) : a noun meaning ‘peach’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji character in detail.
What does “momo” literally mean in Japanese?
The kanji character of “momo” consists of the following two parts:
- 木 : a kanji radical related to ‘tree’. This is widely used in Japanese words related to plants.
- 兆 : a kanji character used to mean ‘sign’, ‘indication’, or ‘omen’ in Japanese.
These two kanji parts tell us that “momo” literally means a ‘tree and sign’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meaning, but represents well the origin and history. In the past, peach seeds were used for fortune-telling. In some regions in the world, people are still doing this kind of fortune-telling, I think. If a peach seed can be cracked into two beautiful pieces, something good will happen. So, peaches are somehow related to signs of what will happen in the future. The kanji character is, therefore, still very reasonable.
When we meet new kanji characters, we should check their parts in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji parts tell us a lot about the meanings of the characters they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “momo” through the detailed check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “momo” together with its kanji parts. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “peaches” in Japanese
boku wa momo to ringo ga suki desu – 僕は桃とりんごが好きです (ぼくはももとりんごがすきです)
I like peaches and apples.
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.
- 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.
- to – と : a case particle working as a parallel marker. In the example, this works to join “momo” and “ringo” with adding the meaning of ‘and’.
- ringo – りんご : a noun meaning ‘apple’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- 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 “momo to ringo” 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 like’.
- 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 “momo”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “momo to ringo”, which means ‘peaches and apples’ in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “momo”
watashi wa tokidoki mise de momo wo kai masu – 私は時々店で桃を買います (わたしはときどきみせでももをかいます)
Sometimes I buy peaches at the store.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
- mise – 店 (みせ) : a noun meaning ‘shop’, ‘store’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “mise” to say where the speaker sometimes buys peaches.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “momo” to make the object in the sentence.
- kai – 買い (かい) : one conjugation of the verb, “kau“, which means ‘to buy’ or ‘to purchase’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “kai” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “momo”. In this example, it works as the object in the sentence and means ‘peaches’ in Japanese. When we want to mean a ‘peach’ or ‘peaches’ in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “momo” in detail based on its kanji character. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- momo – 桃 (もも) : a noun meaning ‘peach’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Two kanji parts literally mean a ‘tree and sign’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meaning, but represents well the origin and history. In the past, peach seeds were used for fortune-telling. In some regions in the world, people are still doing this kind of fortune-telling, I think. If a peach seed can be cracked into two beautiful pieces, something good will happen. So, peaches are somehow related to signs of what will happen in the future. The kanji character is, therefore, still very reasonable.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
