Ouji is the Japanese word for ‘prince’, explained

What does “ouji” mean in Japanese?

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

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “ouji”
• Ouji in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “prince” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “ouji”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “ouji”

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

• ouji – 王子 (おうじ) : a noun meaning ‘prince’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to a son or sons of a king. So, its usage is more or less the same as that of “prince” in English, I think.

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

Ouji in kanji

The kanji expression of “ouji” consists of the following two characters:

• 王 : a kanji character used to mean ‘king’.
• 子 : a kanji character used to mean ‘child’ or ‘kid’. This kanji can also be found in other words like “kodomo“.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “ouji” literally means ‘king child’. This kanji concept is very close to the actual meaning, I think.

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

Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kare” to make the subject in the 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 “kuni” to say “this country” in Japanese.
• kuni – 国 (くに) : a noun meaning ‘county’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “kono kuni” and “ouji”. The formed phrase literally means ‘a prince of this country’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is very similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
• 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, “kono kuni no ouji”, to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “ouji”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “kono kuni no ouji”, which means ‘the prince of this country’ in Japanese.

Example #2: another usage of “ouji”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• mada – まだ : an adverb meaning ‘still’ or such in Japanese.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this is used before “wakai” to emphasize its meaning.
• wakai – 若い (わかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘young’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “ouji”. When we want to refer to a son or sons of a king in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.

Summary

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

• ouji – 王子 (おうじ) : a noun meaning ‘prince’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘king child’. So, the kanji concept is very close to the actual meaning. When we want to refer to a son or sons of a king in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.