Okiniiri is the Japanese word for ‘favorite’, explained

What does “okiniiri” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “okiniiri” to mean ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “okiniiri” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “okiniiri”
• Grammatical components of “okiniiri”
  • Example #1: how to say “my favorite” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “okiniiri”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “okiniiri”

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

• okiniiri – お気に入り (おきにいり) : a noun meaning ‘favorite’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to a thing or things they especially like. So, its usage is similar to that of the English noun, “favorite”, I think.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.

Grammatical components of “okiniiri”

“Okiniiri” consists of the following two components:

• o – お : a prefix used to make its following words polite.
• kiniiri – 気に入り (きにいり) : the noun form of the verb, “kiniiru”, which means ‘to get to like’ or such in Japanese. This can refer to a thing or things that someone especially likes.

From these two components, we can understand that “okiniiri” is literally the polite expression of “kiniiri” which refers to a thing or things that someone especially likes. This literal interpretation seems to be very close to the actual meaning, ‘favorite’, I think.

When we meet new Japanese words, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, grammatical components tell us a lot about the meanings of the words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “okiniiri” through the detailed check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “okiniiri” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “my favorite” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “eiga” to say “this movie” in Japanese.
• eiga – 映画 (えいが) : a noun meaning ‘movie’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kono eiga” to make the subject in the sentence.
• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its possessive case, “boku no”, which means ‘my’ 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 the noun phrase, “boku no okiniiri”, to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “okiniiri”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “boku no okiniiri”, which means ‘my favorite’ in Japanese.

Example #2: another usage of “okiniiri”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with the case particle, “no”, to say “her”.
• nan – 何 (なん) : an indefinite demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘what’ in Japanese.
• ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make questions. This is often used with the pitch raised. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to make the question.

This is another typical usage of “okiniiri”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “kanojo no okiniiri”, which means ‘her favorite’ in Japanese. When we want to say “favorite” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “okiniiri” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• okiniiri – お気に入り (おきにいり) : a noun meaning ‘favorite’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. This is literally the polite expression of “kiniiri” which refers to a thing or things that someone especially likes. Native speakers actually use this to refer to a thing or things they especially like. So, the usage of this noun is similar to that of the English one, “favorite”.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.