What does “nakama” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “nakama” to mean ‘buddy’, ‘mate’, or just ‘good friend’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word as it is 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 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 ‘buddy’, ‘mate’, or just ‘good friend’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to a person or people of their group. So, the usage is similar to those of the English nouns written above.
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.
What does “nakama” literally mean in Japanese?
The kanji expression of “nakama” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 仲 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘relationship’, ‘friendship’, or such.
- 間 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘relationship’, ‘gap’, or such.
These two kanji characters tell us that “nakama” literally means ‘relationships’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Buddies are often tied with strong relationships.
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 “nakama” through the detailed kanji check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “nakama” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “buddies” 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 buddies 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 in the middle of the sentence to say “last year” in Japanese.
- 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 the speaker 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 the speakers 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 this example, it works together with the case particle, “to”, to say “with my buddies” 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 buddies.
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 the Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “watashi no 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 literally mean ‘my buddies’ in Japanese. When we want to refer to a person or people of our group in Japanese, 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 ‘buddy’, ‘mate’, or just ‘good friend’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to a person or people of their group. So, the usage is similar to those of the English nouns written above. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘relationships’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Buddies are often tied with strong relationships.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
