What does “onaidoshi” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “onaidoshi” to mean ‘same age’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. 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 understand “onaidoshi” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “onaidoshi”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “onaidoshi”.
- onaidoshi – 同い年 (おないどし) : a noun meaning ‘same age’ or ‘someone who is the same age as someone else’ in Japanese.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear. The meanings seem to be based on the same concept. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.
What does “onaidoshi” literally mean?
“Onaidoshi” consists of the following two components:
- onai – 同い (おない) : derived from “onaji” which means ‘same’ in Japanese.
- doshi – 年 (どし) : a noun meaning ‘year’ or ‘age’ in Japanese.
These two components tell us that the formed noun literally means ‘same age’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is completely in line with the actual meanings.
When we meet new Japanese words, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about the meanings of the words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “onaidoshi” through the detailed check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “onaidoshi” together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “same age” in Japanese
kanojo to boku no imouto wa onaidoshi desu – 彼女と僕の妹は同い年です (かのじょとぼくのいもうとはおないどしです)
She and my little sister are the same age.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- to – と : a parallel particle used to make a parallel expression. In the example, this is used between “kanojo” and “boku no imouto” to make the parallel expression which means ‘she and my little sister’ in Japanese.
- 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.
- imouto – 妹 (いもうと) : a noun meaning ‘little sister’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo to boku no imouto” to make the subject in the sentence.
- 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 “onaidoshi” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “onaidoshi”. In the example, it works as the complement in the sentence to mean ‘the same age’ in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “onaidoshi”
boku wa onaidoshi no tomodachi ga sukunai – 僕は同い年の友達が少ない (ぼくはおないどしのともだちがすくない)
I have a few friends of the same age.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “onaidoshi” and “tomodachi”. The formed phrase literally means ‘friends of the same age’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
- tomodachi – 友達 (ともだち) : a noun meaning ‘friend’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- 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 “onaidoshi no tomodachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- sukunai – 少ない (すくない) : an i-adjective meaning ‘a few’, ‘a little’, or such in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “onaidoshi”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “onaidoshi no tomodachi”, which means ‘friends of the same age’ in Japanese. When we want to say “same age” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “onaidoshi” 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.
- onaidoshi – 同い年 (おないどし) : a noun meaning ‘same age’ or ‘someone who is the same age as someone else’ in Japanese. This noun consists of two components, “onai” and “doshi”. The first one was derived from “onaji” which means ‘same’ in Japanese; the second one means ‘year’ or ‘age’. So, this noun literally means ‘same age’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
