Nature in Japanese: shizen, explained based on its kanji expression

How to say “nature” in Japanese

Japanese people would say “shizen”. It is the Japanese word for ‘nature’. Very simple, I think. 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. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “shizen”
• “Shizen” in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “nature” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “shizen”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “shizen”

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

• shizen – 自然 (しぜん) : a noun meaning ‘nature’ in Japanese.

Its definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

“Shizen” in kanji

The kanji expression of “shizen” consists of the following two characters:

• 自 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘spontaneity’ or ‘natural’. This can also work as a prefix to add the meaning of ‘self-‘ or ‘auto-‘.
• 然 : a kanji character used to mean ‘state’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “shizen” literally means ‘natural state’. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to undestand 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 “shizen” through the detailed kanji check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally the preceding noun works to modify the meaning of the following noun. In the example, this joins “shizen” and “utsukushisa”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the beauty of nature’. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this particle is similar to that of “of” in English.
• utsukushisa – 美しさ (うつくしさ) : the noun form of the i-adjective, “utsukushii“, which means ‘beautiful’ 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 the noun phrase, “shizen no utsukushisa”, to make the object in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. In reality, however, Japanese people often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to love’.
• 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 a typical usage of “shizen”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “shizen no utsukushisa”, which means ‘the beauty of nature’ in Japanese.

Example #2: another usage of “shizen”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its plural form, “watashi tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• ichibu – 一部 (いちぶ) : a noun meaning ‘one part’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “shizen”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “shizen no ichibu”, which means ‘part of nature’ in Japanese. This expression is worth knowing, I think. Anyway, when we want to say “nature” in Japanese, “shizen” would be the best word,

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “shizen” 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.

• shizen – 自然 (しぜん) : a noun meaning ‘nature’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘natural state’. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. When we want to say “nature” in Japanese, this would be the best word.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.