Omoi meaning can vary depending on the kanji expression, explained

What does “omoi” mean in Japanese?

Honestly speaking, “omoi” meaning can vary depending on the kanji expression. To understand its meaning correctly, therefore, we need to know which expression is used. In this blog post, I will explain its kanji expressions with corresponding meanings. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. Let’s get started!

Contents

• “Omoi” as an adjective
• Example #1: how to say “heavy” in Japanese
• “Omoi” as a noun
• Example #2: how to say “thoughts” in Japanese
• Summary

“Omoi” as an adjective

When “omoi” is used as an adjective, it is written as “重い” in kanji. Let me explain this first.

• omoi – 重い (おもい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘heavy’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can also mean ‘important’ or ‘serious’.

This is the first kanji expression of “omoi”. Most probably it is used to mean ‘heavy’. Depending on the situation and context, however, it can also be used as a metaphor for the degree of seriousness. So, it can mean ‘important’ or ‘serious’.

To understand this type of “omoi” more clearly, let me explain its usage through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “heavy” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle put after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “watashi”, to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• kaban – 鞄 (かばん) : a noun meaning ‘bag’ in Japanese. It can also be used as a plural noun meaning ‘bags’. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is put after the noun phrase, “watashi no kaban”, to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “omoi”. In this example, it works as a complement and means ‘heavy’. Like English adjectives, this Japanese adjective can also be used as a modifier to describe its following noun. For example, we can say “omoi kaban” to mean ‘a heavy bag’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing.

When we want to say ‘heavy’ in Japanese, “omoi” would be the best choice in most cases.

“Omoi” as a noun

When “omoi” is used as a noun, it is written as either “思い” or “想い”. Both expressions have the same meanings. The first one is more general and widely-used; the second one is often used in particular fields like literature. Let me explain them as follows.

• omoi – 思い/想い (おもい) : a noun meaning ‘thought’, ‘mind’, ‘feeling’, ‘love’, or ‘expectation’ in Japanese. It can also be used as a plural noun.

Its definition and meanings are not so difficult, I think. It is often used to express positive feelings we have in our minds. Let me explain how to use this type of “omoi” through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “thoughts” in Japanese

Below are the new words and particle used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle to indicate a particular object to which an action is heading. In this example, it is put after the pronoun, “kanojo”, to indicate the object to which the action described by the verb, “tsutaeru”, is heading.
• wo – を : a case particle put after a noun to make the object in a sentence. In the example, it is put after the noun, “omoi”, to make the object word in the sentence.
• tsutae – 伝え (つたえ) : one conjugation of the verb, “tsutaeru”, which means ‘to tell’, ‘to convey’, or such in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb or adjective to make its past tense. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “tsutae”, to make its past tense, “tsutae ta”.

This is a typical usage of this type of “omoi”. It is used as a noun to mean ‘thoughts’.

When “omoi” is used as a noun, it is often followed by a particle like “wo” in this example. This trend would help us to differentiate its usage as a noun from that as an adjective.

In this example, “思い” is used. If “想い” were used instead, a sentence would become more poetic and romantic. When we want to make sentences sound poetic and romantic, the second kanji expression would be very helpful. Conversely, when we don’t, we should stick to the first kanji expression to avoid any possible misunderstanding.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “omoi” with its three different kanji expressions. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• omoi – 重い (おもい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘heavy’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can also be used as a metaphor for the degree of seriousness. So, it can mean ‘important’ or ‘serious’.
• omoi – 思い/想い (おもい) : a noun meaning ‘thought’, ‘mind’, ‘feeling’, ‘love’, or ‘expectation’ in Japanese. It can also be used as a plural noun. It is often followed by a particle. This trend would help us to differentiate the usage as a noun from that as an adjective. The first kanji expression is more popular and widely-used; the second is often used in particular fields like literature.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.