What does “natsu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “natsu” to mean ‘summer’ in Japanese. Very simple. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word well because it is often used in Japanese movies, songs, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “natsu” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
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, it refers to months from June to August or perhaps September.
Again, but native speakers use this noun to mean ‘summer’ in Japanese. Its usage is very similar to that of the English word, “summer”.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “summer” in Japanese
nihon no natsu wa mushiatsui – 日本の夏は蒸し暑い (にほんのなつはむしあつい)
Summer in Japan is hot and humid.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- nihon – 日本 (にほん) : a noun meaning ‘Japan’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “nihon” and “natsu”. The formed phrase literally means ‘summer in Japan’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “nihon 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 the two words: “mushi” and “atsui”. The first one means ‘humid’; the second means ‘hot’. In most cases, however, Japanese native speakers use this as one word to say ‘humid and hot’ or ‘hot and humid’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “natsu”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “nihon no natsu”, which means ‘summer in Japan’ in Japanese. When we want to say “summer” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is the best option.
Example #2: another usage of “natsu”
watashi wa natsu yori fuyu ga suki desu – 私は夏より冬が好きです (わたしはなつよりふゆがすきです)
I like winter better than summer.
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 used to provide a basis of comparison. In the example, this is used after “natsu” to provide the basis of comparison with “fuyu”.
- 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 word in the sentence.
- suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. In reality, however, native speakers often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, actually, this works 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 the example, it is compared with “fuyu”. Japanese people like talking about their favorite seasons, so this kind of expression is worth knowing.
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, it refers to months from June to August or perhaps September.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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