What does “owaru” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “owaru” to mean ‘to end’, ‘to finish’, or ‘to get over’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in the Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “owaru” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “owaru”
- Owaranai: the nai form of “owaru”
- Owarou: the volitional form of “owaru”
- Owarimasu: the masu form of “owaru”
- Owatta: the ta form of “owaru”
- Owatte: the te form of “owaru”
- Owareba: the ba form of “owaru”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “owaru”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “owaru”.
- owaru – 終わる (おわる) : a verb meaning ‘to end’, ‘to finish’, or ‘to get over’ in Japanese.
These are the very basic meanings of “owaru”. It’s also worth mentioning here that native speakers occasionally use this verb for romantic relationships. In this case, it means ‘to break up’.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “end” in Japanese
natsu ga sugu owaru – 夏がすぐ終わる (なつがすぐおわる)
Summer ends soon.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- natsu – 夏 (なつ) : a noun meaning ‘summer’ in Japanese.
- 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 “natsu” to make the subject in the sentence.
- sugu – すぐ : an adverb meaning ‘soon’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “owaru”. When we want to say “end” in Japanese, this verb is a good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “owaru” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “owaranai”.
Owaranai: the nai form of “owaru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “owaranai”.
- owaranai – 終わらない (おわらない) : the nai form of “owaru”, which means ‘not to end’, ‘not to finish’, or ‘not to get over’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “owaranai” consists of the following two parts:
- owara – 終わら (おわら) : one conjugation of “owaru”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “owaranai” is literally the nai form of “owaru” and means ‘not to end’, ‘not to finish’, or ‘not to get over’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “never end” in Japanese
boku no shukudai wa owaranai – 僕の宿題は終わらない (ぼくのしゅくだいはおわらない)
My homework never ends.
Below are the new words used in the example 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.
- shukudai – 宿題 (しゅくだい) : a noun meaning ‘homework’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku no shukudai” to make the subject in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “owaranai”. When we want to mean ‘not to end’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option. In the example, it has been translated as ‘never ends’, though…
Owarou: the volitional form of “owaru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “owarou”.
- owarou – 終わろう (おわろう) : the volitional form of “owaru”, which expresses volition to end, finish, or get over.
Grammatically, “owarou” consists of the following two parts:
- owaro – 終わろ (おわろ) : one conjugation of “owaru”. This can have a smooth connection with “u”.
- u – う : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “owarou” is literally the volitional form of “owaru” and expresses volition to end, finish, or get over. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s finish” in Japanese
kyou wa hayaku owarou – 今日は早く終わろう (きょうははやくおわろう)
Let’s finish early today!
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese.
- hayaku – 早く (はやく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “hayai“, which means ‘early’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with “owarou”.
This is a typical usage of “owarou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s finish” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Owarimasu: the masu form of “owaru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “owarimasu”.
- owarimasu – 終わります (おわります) : the masu form of “owaru”, which means ‘to end’, ‘to finish’, or ‘to get over’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “owarimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- owari – 終わり (おわり) : one conjugation of “owaru”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
- 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.
From these two parts, we can understand that “owarimasu” is literally the masu form of “owaru” and means ‘to end’, ‘to finish’, or ‘to get over’ politely in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “end” politely in Japanese
aki mo sugu owarimasu – 秋もすぐ終わります (あきもすぐおわります)
Autumn ends soon, too.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- aki – 秋 (あき) : a noun meaning ‘autumn’ or ‘fall’ in Japanese.
- mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘also’, ‘as well’, or ‘too’. In the example, this works after “aki” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
This is a typical usage of “owarimasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to say “end”, “finish”, or “get over” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.
Owatta: the ta form of “owaru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “owatta”.
- owatta – 終わった (おわった) : the ta form of “owaru”, which means ‘ended’, ‘finished’, or ‘got over’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “owatta” consists of the following two parts:
- owat – 終わっ (おわっ) : one conjugation of “owaru”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “owatta” is literally the ta form of “owaru” and means ‘ended’, ‘finished’, or ‘got over’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “got over” in Japanese
watashi no jinsei wa owatta yo – 私の人生は終わったよ (わたしのじんせいはおわったよ)
My life got over.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- jinsei – 人生 (じんせい) : a noun meaning ‘life’ in Japanese.
- yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to state the speaker’s idea softly.
This is a typical usage of “owatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “owaru”, this ta form is a good option.
Owatte: the te form of “owaru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “owatte”.
- owatte – 終わって (おわって) : the te form of “owaru”, which means ‘to end’, ‘to finish’, or ‘to get over’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “owatte” consists of the following two parts:
- owat – 終わっ (おわっ) : one conjugation of “owaru”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “owatte” is literally the te form of “owaru”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make a chronological order in a sentence. So, “owatte” is very helpful when we want to implement a chronological order into a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to end’ or such. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “end and” in Japanese
aki ga owatte fuyu ga kuru – 秋が終わって冬が来る (あきがおわってふゆがくる)
Autumn ends and (then) winter comes.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- fuyu – 冬 (ふゆ) : a noun meaning ‘winter’ in Japanese.
- kuru – 来る (くる) : a verb meaning ‘to come’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “owatte”. In this example, it works to make the chronological order in the sentence. When we want to make a chronological order in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to end’, this te form is a good option.
Owareba: the ba form of “owaru”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “owareba”.
- owareba – 終われば (おわれば) : the ba form of “owaru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to end’, ‘to finish’, or ‘to get over’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “owareba” consists of the following two parts:
- oware – 終われ (おわれ) : one conjugation of “owaru”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “owareba” is literally the ba form of “owaru”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “owareba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to end’, ‘to finish’, or ‘to get over’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if finish” in Japanese
shukudai ga owareba, dekake rareru – 宿題が終われば、出掛けられる (しゅくだいがおわれば、でかけられる)
If I finish my homework, I can go out.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- dekake – 出掛け (でかけ) : one conjugation of the verb, “dekakeru”, which means ‘to go out’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with the following word.
- rareru – られる : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its potential form. In the example, this is used after “dekake” to make its potential form, “dekake rareru”, which means ‘can go out’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “owareba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “shukudai ga owareba”, which means ‘if I finish my homework’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to finish’, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “owaru” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- owaru – 終わる (おわる) : a verb meaning ‘to end’, ‘to finish’, or ‘to get over’ in Japanese.
- owaranai – 終わらない (おわらない) : the nai form of “owaru”, which means ‘not to end’, ‘not to finish’, or ‘not to get over’ in Japanese.
- owarou – 終わろう (おわろう) : the volitional form of “owaru”, which expresses volition to end, finish, or get over.
- owarimasu – 終わります (おわります) : the masu form of “owaru”, which means ‘to end’, ‘to finish’, or ‘to get over’ politely in Japanese.
- owatta – 終わった (おわった) : the ta form of “owaru”, which means ‘ended’, ‘finished’, or ‘got over’ in Japanese.
- owatte – 終わって (おわって) : the te form of “owaru”, which means ‘to end’, ‘to finish’, or ‘to get over’ in Japanese. When we want to make a chronological order in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to end’, this te form is a good option.
- owareba – 終われば (おわれば) : the ba form of “owaru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to end’, ‘to finish’, or ‘to get over’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
Learn more vocabulary on the app!
You can improve your Japanese vocabulary with our flashcards.
Leave a Reply