Nagaiki is a Japanese word for ‘those who live long’, explained

What does “nagaiki” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers use nagaiki often to refer to those who live long. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I’m explaining this word in detail based on its kanji mixed expression. And also, I’m explaining how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand nagaiki more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “nagaiki”
• Nagaiki in kanji
  • How to say “living a ling life” in Japanese
  • Another example of “nagaiki”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “nagaiki”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of nagaiki.

• nagaiki – 長生き (ながいき) : a noun used to refer to those who live long in Japanese. This can also work to describe them. So, this can mean ‘those who live long’ or ‘living a long life’ in Japanese.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji mixed expression in detail.

Nagaiki in kanji

The kanji mixed expression of nagaiki consists of the following two parts:

• 長 : a kanji character used to mean ‘long’ in Japanese. This can also be found in other words like nagai.
• 生き : a noun often used to refer to the state of being alive or the act of living in Japanese.

From these two parts, we can understand that nagaiki literally means ‘long living’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meanings.

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 the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of nagaiki through the detailed check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of nagaiki together with kanji parts. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

How to say “living a ling life” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun used to mean ‘she’ 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 kanojo to make its possessive case, kanojo no, which means ‘her’ in Japanese.
• obaachan – おばあちゃん : a noun used to mean a ‘grandma’ or ‘grandmother’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after kanojo no obaachan to make the subject in the sentence.
• 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 the Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after nagaiki to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of nagaiki. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence.

Another example of “nagaiki”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• 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 nagaiki to make the subject in the sentence.
• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun used to mean ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males. In the example, this is used together with no to mean ‘my’ in Japanese.
• yume – 夢 (ゆめ) : a noun used to mean a ‘dream’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• deshi – でし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, desu, which is used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. 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 the Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after deshi to make its past tense form, deshi ta.

This is another example of nagaiki. In this example, it works together with the case particle, ga, to become the subject in the sentence.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of nagaiki 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.

• nagaiki – 長生き (ながいき) : a noun used to refer to those who live long in Japanese. This can also work to describe them. So, this can mean ‘those who live long’ or ‘living a long life’ in Japanese. This kanji expression literally means ‘long living’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meanings.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.