What does “mugen” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “mugen” to mean ‘infinity’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word well as it is quite often used in Japanese movies, video games, anime, manga, 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 “mugen” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “mugen”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “mugen”.
- mugen – 無限 (むげん) : a noun meaning ‘infinity’ in Japanese.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Mugen in kanji
The kanji expression of “mugen” consists of the following two characters:
- 無 : a kanji character often used as a prefix to add the meaning of ‘not’, ‘non’, or ‘no’ to its following word.
- 限 : a kanji character used to mean ‘limit’.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “mugen” means ‘no limit’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close. Infinity is more or less something without limits or an end.
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 “mugen” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “mugen” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “infinity” in Japanese
watashi wa tokidoki uchuu no mugen wo omou – 私は時々宇宙の無限を想う (わたしはときどきうちゅうのむげんをおもう)
Sometimes I think about the infinity of the universe.
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 word in the sentence.
- tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
- uchuu – 宇宙 (うちゅう) : a noun meaning ‘the universe’ in Japanese.
- 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 “uchuu” and “mugen”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the infinity of the universe’ 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”.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after the noun phrase, “uchuu no mugen”, to make the object in the sentence.
- omou – 想う (おもう) : a verb meaning ‘to think’, ‘to consider’, or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “mugen”. In the example, it works as a part of the noun phrase which means ‘the infinity of the universe’ in Japanese. When we want to say “infinity” in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “mugen”
kodomo wa mugen no kanousei wo mot te iru – 子供は無限の可能性を持っている (こどもはむげんのかのうせいをもっている)
Children have infinite possibilities.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kodomo – 子供 (こども) : a noun meaning ‘children’ in Japanese.
- kanousei – 可能性 (かのうせい) : a noun meaning ‘possibility’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- mot – 持っ (もっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “motsu”, which means ‘to have’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “mot” to make its te form, “mot te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
- iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by the preceding verb. In the example, this is used after the te-formed verb, “mot te”, to express the continuity of the action, ‘to have’.
This is another typical usage of “mugen”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “no”, to modify its following noun. So, it works like an adjective to add the meaning of ‘infinite’. In the Japanese language, the border between nouns and na-adjectives is very ambiguous. Depending on the word used together, therefore, “mugen” can work like an adjective to add the meaning of ‘infinite’.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “mugen” 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.
- mugen – 無限 (むげん) : a noun meaning ‘infinity’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘no limit’. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close. Grammatically, this is a noun. Depending on the word used together, however, this can also work like an adjective to add the meaning of ‘infinite’.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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