What does “motto” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “motto” to mean ‘more’, ‘further’, or such in Japanese. In this blog post, I will explain the definition and meanings of this word. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “motto” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “motto”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “motto”.
- motto – もっと : an adverb of degree meaning ‘more’, ‘further’, or such in Japanese.
Native speakers use this adverb mainly in the two ways: use it alone or use it to emphasize its following word. When they use it alone, it often means ‘more’. When they use it for emphasis, it describes the greater number, amount, or degree of the following word.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. Next, let me explain how to use “motto” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “more” in Japanese
watashi wa motto tomodachi wo tsukuri tai – 私はもっと友達を作りたい (わたしはもっとともだちをつくりたい)
I want to make more friends.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- tomodachi – 友達 (ともだち) : a noun meaning ‘friend’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “tomodachi” to make the object in the sentence.
- tsukuri – 作り (つくり) : one conjugation of the verb, “tsukuru”, which means ‘to make’, ‘to create’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- tai – たい : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its desire form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese tai form. In the example, this is used after “tsukuri” to make its desire form, “tsukuri tai”, which means ‘to want to make’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “motto”. In this example, it works before “tomodachi” to mean ‘more (in number)’ in Japanese. When we want to describe a greater number, amount, or degree of something in Japanese, this adverb is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “motto”
kanojo wa motto kawaiku nari tai to it ta – 彼女はもっと可愛くなりたいと言った (かのじょはもっとかわいくなりたいといった)
She said she wanted to be cuter.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- kawaiku – 可愛く (かわいく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “kawaii“, which means ‘cute’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- nari – なり : one conjugation of the verb, “naru”, which means ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, ‘to get’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause, “motto kawaiku nari tai”, to indicate what “kanojo” said.
- it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu”, which means ‘to say’, ‘to tell’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- 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. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.
This is another typical usage of “motto”. In this example, it works before “kawaii” to express its greater degree. The combination of these two words has been translated into English as ‘cuter’. Like this case, this adverb can make the comparative form of its following adjective. In the Japanese language, adjectives cannot become their comparative forms in an easier way like in English, so they need the help of “motto”.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “motto” and how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- motto – もっと : an adverb of degree meaning ‘more’, ‘further’, or such in Japanese. When native speakers use this adverb alone, it often means ‘more’. When they use it for emphasis, it describes the greater number, amount, or degree of its following word. In the Japanese language, adjectives cannot become their comparative forms in an easier way like in English. So, they need the help of “motto”.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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