What does “kouen” mean in Japanese?
There are some homophones in Japanese. When native speakers say “kouen” in daily conversations, however, it probably means ‘park’ 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 “kouen” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “kouen”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “kouen”.
- kouen – 公園 (こうえん) : a noun meaning ‘park’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to an open area where we can do some activities, which is often filled with nature. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to that of the English one, “park”, 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.
Kouen in kanji
The kanji expression of “kouen” consists of the following two characters:
- 公 : a kanji character often used as a prefix to add the meaning of ‘public’.
- 園 : a kanji character used to mean ‘garden’ or ‘orchard’.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “kouen” literally means ‘public garden’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. Parks are more or less gardens open to people.
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 “kouen” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “kouen” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “park” in Japanese
boku wa kanojo to kouen ni iki mashi ta – 僕は彼女と公園に行きました (ぼくはかのじょとこうえんにいきました)
I went to the park with her.
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.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- to – と : a case particle used to say with whom someone does something. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to say with whom “boku” went to the park.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “kouen” to say where “boku” went with her.
- iki – 行き (いき) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku”, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “masu”, which is used after a verb to make it polite. In the example, this is used after “iki” to make it sound polite.
- 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. In the example, this is used at the end of the verb phrase to make the past tense form.
This is a typical usage of “kouen”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “ni”, to make the object in the sentence. When we want to say “park” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “kouen”
kouen de sakura wo mi mashi ta – 公園で桜を見ました (こうえんでさくらをみました)
We watched the cherry blossoms in the park.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “kouen” to say where the speaker watched the cherry blossoms.
- sakura – 桜 (さくら) : a noun meaning ‘cherry blossom’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “sakura” to make the object in the sentence.
- mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru”, which means ‘to see’, ‘to watch’, ‘to look’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
This is another typical usage of “kouen”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “de”, to say where the speaker watched the cherry blossoms.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “kouen” 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.
- kouen – 公園 (こうえん) : a noun meaning ‘park’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun to refer to an open area where we can do some activities, which is often filled with nature. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to that of the English one, “park”, I think. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘public garden’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close. Parks are more or less gardens open to people.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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