What does “nigate” mean in Japanese?
Japanese people often say “nigate” to mean ‘weak point’ in Japanese, but its usage is not limited to this particular purpose. In this blog post, therefore, 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 meanings of “nigate”
- “Nigate” in kanji
- Example #1: how to say “weak point” in Japanese
- Example #2: how to say “I’m bad at Japanese” in Japanese
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “nigate”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “nigate”.- nigate – 苦手 (にがて) : a noun meaning ‘weak point’ in Japanese. This word can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘weak points’. Learn more about Japanese plural. Grammatically it is a noun, but can also work like an adjective meaning ‘bad at’, ‘poor at’, ‘not good at’, or ‘weak in’.
I’ve explained the very basics of “nigate”. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
“Nigate” in kanji
Below are the kanji characters used in “nigate”.- 苦 : a kanji character used to mean ‘pain’, ‘suffering’, ‘trouble’, ‘anxiety’, or ‘difficulty’ in Japanese.
- 手 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘hand‘ in Japanese. This kanji can also be found in other words like “jouzu“.
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 “nigate” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “nigate” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to use “nigate”
watashi wa nigate wo kokufuku shi ta – 私は苦手を克服した (わたしはにがてをこくふくした)
I overcame my weak point.
I overcame my weak point.
- 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, it is put after “watashi” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after “nigate” to make the object word in the sentence. It is written as “wo”, but its actual pronunciation is “o”.
- kokufuku shi – 克服し (こくふくし) : one conjugation of the verb, “kokufuku suru”, which means ‘to overcome’ 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. Probably it is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “kokufuku shi”, to make its past tense form.
Japanese people often say “nigate wo kokufuku suru” to mean ‘to overcome a weak point’ in Japanese. It is a kind of idiomatic expression, so worth knowing.
Example #2: how to say “I’m bad at Japanese” in Japanese
watashi wa nihongo ga nigate desu – 私は日本語が苦手です (わたしはにほんごがにがてです)
I’m bad at Japanese.
I’m bad at Japanese.
- nihongo – 日本語 (にほんご) : a noun meaning ‘Japanese’ or ‘the Japanese language’ in Japanese.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after “nihongo” to make the object word in the sentence.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb put after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably it is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, it is put after “nigate” to make it sound polite.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “nigate” 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.- nigate – 苦手 (にがて) : a noun meaning ‘weak point’ in Japanese. This word can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘weak points’. Grammatically it is a noun, but can also work like an adjective meaning ‘bad at’, ‘poor at’, ‘not good at’, or ‘weak in’.
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