What does “musume” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “musume” to mean ‘daughter’ or ‘young woman’ in Japanese. Very simple, I think. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to better understand “musume”. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “musume”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “musume”.
- musume – 娘 (むすめ) : a noun meaning ‘daughter’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, this can refer to a young woman. This noun can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers use this noun basically to mean ‘daughter’ or ‘daughters’ in Japanese. However, this can also refer to young women. So, we need to be a bit careful with the situation and context where this noun is used.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji components in detail, one by one.
“Musume” in kanji
The kanji character of “musume” consists of the following two components:
- 女 : a kanji radical used to add the meaning of ‘woman‘, ‘girl‘, ‘female’, or such.
- 良 : a kanji character used to mean ‘well‘, ‘good’, or such in Japanese.
From these two components, we can understand that “musume” literally means a good woman or girl. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very understandable. Fathers in general think their daughters are good girls.
When we meet new kanji characters, we should check their components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components and radicals tell us a lot about meanings of kanji they form. Actually, here, we could get better understanding of “musume” through the detailed check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “musume” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “daughter” in Japanese
kanojo wa watashi no musume desu – 彼女は私の娘です (かのじょはわたしのむすめです)
She is my daughter.
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 word 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.
- 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 “musume” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “musume”. In this example, it works together with the possessive case, “watashi no”, to say “my daughter” in Japanese. When we want to say “daughter” or “daughters” in Japanese, this noun is the best option.
Example #2: another usage of “musume”
kanojo wa rippana musume ni nat ta – 彼女は立派な娘になった (かのじょはりっぱなむすめになった)
She became an outstanding woman.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- rippana – 立派な (りっぱな) : a na-adjective meaning ‘outstanding’, ‘excellent’, ‘brilliant’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works before “musume” to describe it.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say what someone or something becomes after a change or action. In the example, this is used after “rippana musume” to say what “kanojo” became after the change.
- nat – なっ : one conjugation of the verb, “naru”, which means ‘to become’, ‘to get’, ‘to turn’, 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. In the example, this is used after “nat” to make its past tense form, “nat ta”, which means ‘to have become’ in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “musume”. In this example, it works to mean ‘a (young) woman’. Of course it’s very possible that a father says “she became an outstanding daughter”, but this is not that natural, I think. Anyway, when we read or hear the noun, “musume”, we need to be a bit careful with the situation and context to understand its meaning correctly.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “musume” and its kanji character in detail based on its components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- musume – 娘 (むすめ) : a noun meaning ‘daughter’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, this can refer to a young woman. This noun can also work as plural. The left part of this kanji means ‘woman’ or ‘girl’; the right means ‘good’. So, this kanji character literally means a good woman or girl. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still understandable. Fathers in general think their daughters are good girls.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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