What does “nomimono” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “nomimono” to mean ‘drink’, ‘beverage’, or ‘something to drink’ in general. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word well as it is quite often used in Japanese conversations. 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 to understand “nomimono” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “nomimono”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “nomimono”.
- nomimono – 飲み物 (のみもの) : a noun meaning ‘drink’, ‘beverage’, or ‘something to drink’ in general. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to a drink, beverage, or something to drink in more general. So, it can mean a liquid we can drink.
The definition and meanings are not so difficult, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Nomimono in kanji
The kanji expression of “nomimono” contains the following two characters:
- 飲 : a kanji character widely used to express the act of drinking.
- 物 : a kanji character used to mean ‘thing’, ‘stuff’, or such in Japanese. Depending on the word used together, this can also mean ‘something’, ‘anything’, or such. This kanji can also be found in other words like “tabemono“.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “nomimono” literally means something to drink. This literal interpretation seems to be completely in line with the meanings.
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 “nomimono” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “nomimono” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “beverages” in Japanese
kanojo wa amai nomimono ga suki desu – 彼女は甘い飲み物が好きです (かのじょはあまいのみものがすきです)
She likes sweet beverages.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- amai – 甘い (あまい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘sweet’ 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 “amai nomimono” 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, 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’ in Japanese.
- 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 “nomimono”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “amai nomimono”, which means ‘sweet beverages’ in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “nomimono”
watashi wa ano mise de nomimono wo kau – 私はあの店で飲み物を買う (わたしはあのみせでのみものをかう)
I’m going to buy a drink at that shop.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- ano – あの : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing not close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “mise” to say “that shop” in Japanese.
- mise – 店 (みせ) : a noun meaning ‘shop’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “ano mise” to say where “watashi” is going to buy a drink.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “nomimono” to make the object in the sentence.
- kau – 買う (かう) : a verb meaning ‘to buy’ or ‘to purchase’ in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “nomimono”. When we want to say “drink”, “beverage”, or “something to drink” in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “nomimono” 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.
- nomimono – 飲み物 (のみもの) : a noun meaning ‘drink’, ‘beverage’, or ‘something to drink’ in general. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun to refer to a drink, beverage, or something to drink in more general. So, this can mean a liquid we can drink. These two kanji characters literally mean something to drink. This literal interpretation seems to be completely in line with the meanings.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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