What does “ningyo” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “ningyo” often to mean ‘mermaid’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, 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 “ningyo” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “ningyo”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “ningyo”.
- ningyo – 人魚 (にんぎょ) : a noun meaning ‘mermaid’ or occasionally ‘merman’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Japanese native speakers use this noun normally to refer to an imaginary female creature which is half human and half fish.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Ningyo in kanji
The kanji expression of “ningyo” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 人 : a kanji character used to mean ‘person’, ‘people’, ‘human’, or such in Japanese.
- 魚 : a kanji character used to mean ‘fish’ in Japanese.
These two kanji characters tell us that “ningyo” literally means ‘human fish’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meaning, but still very close, I think. Mermaids are often half human and half fish.
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 “ningyo” through the detailed kanji check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “ningyo” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “mermaid” in Japanese
watashi tachi wa kinou ningyo wo mi ta – 私達は昨日人魚を見た (わたしたちはきのうにんぎょをみた)
We saw a mermaid yesterday.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ 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 “watashi” to make its plural form, “watashi tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ 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 mean ‘yesterday’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “ningyo” to make the object in the sentence.
- mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru“, which means ‘to see’, ‘to watch’, ‘to look’, or such 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 “mi” to make its past tense form, “mi ta”.
This is a typical usage of “ningyo”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to become the object in the sentence.
Example #2: another usage of “ningyo”
ningyo wa sonzai shi nai – 人魚は存在しない (にんぎょはそんざいしない)
Mermaids don’t exist.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- sonzai shi – 存在し (そんざいし) : one conjugation of the verb, “sonzai suru”, which means ‘to exist’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”. In the example, this is used after “sonzai shi” to deny its meaning.
This is another typical usage of “ningyo”. In this example, it works as a plural to mean ‘mermaids’ in Japanese. When we want to refer to a mermaid or mermaids in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “ningyo” 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.
- ningyo – 人魚 (にんぎょ) : a noun meaning ‘mermaid’ or occasionally ‘merman’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘human fish’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meaning, but still very close, I think. Mermaids are often half human and half fish.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
