What is “noni” in Japanese?
“Noni” is a particle in the Japanese language. Native speakers use it mainly in two ways: to connect two sentences; to express dissatisfaction. In this blog post, I will explain this particle in detail with two example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “noni” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
“Noni” to connect two sentences
Let me start with “noni” used to connect two sentences.
- noni – のに : a conjunctive particle used to connect two sentences which have different or opposite meanings.
This particle can work at the end of a sentence to make the better connection to another. Normally, the second one contains an unexpected effect or result from the first. Native speakers actually use this type of “noni” to connect two sentences which have different or opposite meanings. This is often translated into English as “but”, “although”, or such.
Then, let me explain how to use this “noni” through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to connect two sentences with “noni”
haru ga ki ta noni, mada samui – 春が来たのに、まだ寒い (はるがきたのにまださむい)
Spring has come, but it is still cold.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- haru – 春 (はる) : a noun meaning ‘spring’ 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 “haru” to make the subject in the first sentence.
- ki – 来 (き) : one conjugation of the verb, “kuru”, which means ‘to come’ 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 “ki” to make its past tense form, “ki ta”.
- mada – まだ : an adverb meaning ‘still’ in Japanese.
- samui – 寒い (さむい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘cold’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of this type of “noni”. In the example, it works at the end of the first sentence to make the better connection with the second. It is supposed to be warm after spring has come. In the example above, however, the speaker says it is still cold. So, the second sentence contains the result we can not expect from the first. The conjunctive particle, “noni”, is very helpful to connect these two sentences naturally.
“Noni” to express dissatisfaction
Next, let me explain “noni” used to express dissatisfaction.
- noni – のに : a sentence-ending particle used to express dissatisfaction indirectly.
Native speakers add this type of “noni” to the end of a sentence to express their dissatisfaction indirectly. In a way, this can be considered as a special use case of the last one explained above. A sentence supposed to follow the already-stated one doesn’t appear: a conjunctive particle results in being a sentence-ending particle. Using this “noni” at the end of a sentence, therefore, expresses the hesitation in saying something different or opposite to the sentence. This is how this type is used to express dissatisfaction indirectly.
Then, let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to express dissatisfaction with “noni”
kanojo wo sasoe ba yokat ta noni – 彼女を誘えば良かったのに (かのじょをさそえばよかったのに)
You should’ve invited her.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make the object in the sentence.
- sasoe – 誘え (さそえ) : one conjugation of the verb, “sasou”, which means ‘to invite’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its conditional form. In the example, this is used after “sasoe” to make its conditional form, “sasoe ba”.
- yokat – 良かっ (よかっ) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “yoi“, which means ‘good’, ‘well’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
This is a typical usage of this type of “noni”. In this example, it works at the end of the sentence to express the dissatisfaction indirectly. The speaker probably wants to blame the listener for not having asked “kanojo” to come, but he/she hesitates to do so directly.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the two different types of “noni”. Let me summarize them as follows.
- noni – のに :
- a conjunctive particle used to connect two sentences which have different or opposite meanings: this can work at the end of a sentence to make the better connection to another. Normally, the second one contains an unexpected effect or result from the first. This is often translated into English as “but”, “although”, or such.
- a sentence-ending particle used to express dissatisfaction indirectly. In a way, this can be considered as a special use case of the last one explained above. A sentence supposed to follow the already-stated one doesn’t appear: a conjunctive particle results in being a sentence-ending particle. Using this type of “noni” at the end of a sentence, therefore, expresses the hesitation in saying something different or opposite to the sentence. This is how this type is used to express dissatisfaction indirectly.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
Learn more vocabulary on the app!
You can improve your Japanese vocabulary with our flashcards.
