What does “nakama” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “nakama” to mean ‘mate’, ‘company’, ‘fellow’, or such in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word well as it is quite often 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 expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “nakama” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “nakama”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “namaka”.
- nakama – 仲間 (なかま) : a noun meaning ‘mate’, ‘company’, ‘fellow’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to a person or people with whom they have close relationships. So, the usage of this noun is similar to those of the English ones, I think.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Nakama in kanji
The kanji expression of “nakama” consists of the following two characters:
- 仲 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘relationship’, ‘friendship’, or such.
- 間 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘gap’, ‘opening’, or such.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “nakama” literally means ‘relationship and gap’. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. A person with whom we can have a close relationship filling the gap can be considered as a mate, company, or fellow.
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 “nakama” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “nakama” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “mates” in Japanese
boku wa kyonen nakama to tokyo ni it ta – 僕は去年仲間と東京に行った (ぼくはきょねんなかまととうきょうにいった)
I went to Tokyo with my mates last year.
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.
- kyonen – 去年 (きょねん) : a noun meaning ‘last year’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “last year”.
- to – と : a case particle used to say with whom someone does something. In the example, this is used after “nakama” to say with whom “boku” went to Tokyo.
- tokyo – 東京 (とうきょう) : a noun meaning ‘Tokyo’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “tokyo” to say where “boku” went.
- it – 行っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku”, which means ‘to go’ 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 “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.
This is a typical usage of “nakama”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “to”, to say “with my mates” in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “nakama”
kanojo tachi wa watashi no nakama desu – 彼女達は私の仲間です (かのじょたちはわたしのなかまです)
They are my mates.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its plural form, “kanojo tachi”, which means ‘they’ in Japanese.
- 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 “nakama” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “nakama”. In this example, it works together with the possessive case, “watashi no”, to say “my mates” in Japanese. When we want to refer to a person or people with whom we have close relationships, this noun is a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “nakama” 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.
- nakama – 仲間 (なかま) : a noun meaning ‘mate’, ‘company’, ‘fellow’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to a person or people with whom they have close relationships. So, the usage of this noun is similar to those of the English ones. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘relationship and gap’. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. A person with whom we can have a close relationship filling the gap can be considered as a mate, company, or fellow.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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