What does “okinodoku” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “okinodoku” to mean ‘sorry to hear that’, ‘that is a shame’, or such in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this phrase as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it 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 “okinodoku” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “okinodoku”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “okinodoku”.
- okinodoku – お気の毒 (おきのどく) : a one-word phrase meaning ‘sorry to hear that’, ‘that is a shame’, ‘that is a pity’, or such in Japanese.
Native speakers use this phrase to express their sympathy for someone who feels unhappy. So, its usage is similar to those of the English phrases above.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. The meanings seem to be based on the same concept. To understand this phrase more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.
Grammatical components of “okinodoku”
“Okinodoku” consists of the following four components:
- o – お : a prefix used to make its following words polite. In this case, this is used to make the following three words polite.
- ki – 気 (き) : a noun meaning ‘feeling’, ‘mind’, or such in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In this case, this is used to join “ki” and “doku”. The formed phrase literally means ‘poison of feeling’. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
- doku – 毒 (どく) : a noun meaning ‘poison’ in Japanese.
From these four components, we can understand that “okinodoku” is the polite version of “kinodoku” which literally means ‘poison of feeling’. So, Japanese people show their sympathy for someone feeling unhappy by saying “your feeling is poisoned” or such. This would sound a bit weird to Japanese learners, I think. The literal interpretation is still a good metaphor for someone’s unhappiness. If the feeling of someone were poisoned, he/she would feel unhappy. In addition, Japanese people love indirect expressions. Saying “your feeling is poisoned” in Japanese, therefore, often results in meaning “I know your unhappiness”.
When we meet new Japanese phrases, 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 phrases they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “okinodoku” through the detailed check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “okinodoku” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “sorry to hear that” in Japanese
sore wa okinodoku desu – それはお気の毒です (それはおきのどくです)
Sorry to hear that.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- sore – それ : a demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘that’ or ‘it’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “sore” to make the subject in the sentence.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun, adjective, or noun equivalent word to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “okinodoku” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “okinodoku”. In the example, it works as a part of the longer phrase, “sore wa okinodoku desu”, which is often translated into English as “sorry to hear that”. Native speakers sometimes use this in conversations, so it’s worth knowing.
Example #2: another usage of “okinodoku”
kare wa itsumo 「okinodoku」 to ii masu – 彼はいつも「お気の毒」と言います (かれはいつも「おきのどく」といいます)
He always says “that’s a shame.”
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after “okinodoku” to indicate what “kare” always says.
- ii – 言い (いい) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu”, which means ‘to say’, ‘to tell’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “ii” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “okinodoku”. When we want to say “that is a shame” in Japanese, this one-word phrase is a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “okinodoku” 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.
- okinodoku – お気の毒 (おきのどく) : a one-word phrase meaning ‘sorry to hear that’, ‘that is a shame’, ‘that is a pity’, or such in Japanese. Native speakers use this to express their sympathy for someone who feels unhappy. So, the usage of this phrase is similar to those of the English ones above.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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