Natsu is the Japanese word for ‘summer’, explained

What does “natsu” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “natsu” to mean ‘summer’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail together with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “natsu” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “natsu”
  • Example #1: how to say “summer” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “natsu”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “natsu”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “natsu”.

• natsu – 夏 (なつ) : a noun meaning ‘summer’ in Japanese. In most areas in Japan, this refers to a period from June to August or September.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this noun through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “summer” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• nippon – 日本 (にっぽん) : a noun meaning ‘Japan’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “nippon” and “natsu”. The formed phrase literally means ‘summer in Japan’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to those of some English prepositions.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “nippon no natsu” to make the subject in the sentence.
• mushiatsui – 蒸し暑い (むしあつい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘humid and hot’ in Japanese. This i-adjective consists of two parts: “mushi” and “atsui”. The first one means ‘humid’; the second means ‘hot’. In most cases, however, native speakers use this as one adjective to mean ‘humid and hot’ or ‘hot and humid’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “natsu”. In this example, it works together with “nippon no” to mean ‘summer in Japan’ in Japanese.

Example #2: another usage of “natsu”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• yori – より : a case particle working as a comparison marker. In the example, this works after “natsu” to provide the target of the comparison with “fuyu”. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to that of “than” in English.
• fuyu – 冬 (ふゆ) : a noun meaning ‘winter’ in Japanese.
• 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 “fuyu” to make the object in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to like’.
• 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 “suki” to make it sound polite.

This is another typical usage of “natsu”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “yori”, to mean ‘than summer’ in Japanese. When we want to mean ‘summer’ in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always the best option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “natsu”. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• natsu – 夏 (なつ) : a noun meaning ‘summer’ in Japanese. In most areas in Japan, this refers to a period from June to August or September.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.