What does “ame” mean in Japanese?
There are some homophones, but native speakers say “ame” normally to mean ‘rain’ 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 together with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “ame” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “ame”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “ame”.
- ame – 雨 (あめ) : a noun meaning ‘rain’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, this is a noun. Japanese native speakers, however, do not pay much attention to the difference between nouns and some adjectives. So, this noun can work like an adjective to mean ‘rainy’ in Japanese, especially in speaking. It’s worth knowing.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this noun through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “rain” in Japanese
kyou wa ame ga fut te iru – 今日は雨が降っている (きょうはあめがふっている)
It’s raining today.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works as a topic marker after “kyou” to put a focus on it.
- 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 “ame” to make the subject in the sentence.
- fut – 降っ (ふっ) : one conjuration of the verb, “furu”, which means ‘to fall’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “fut” to make its te form, “fut te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
- iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by its preceding verb. In the example, this is used after “fut te” to express the continuity of its action, ‘to fall’.
This is a typical usage of “ame”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used phrase, “ame ga fut te iru”, which literally means ‘rain is falling’ in Japanese. This phrase is normally translated into English as ‘it’s raining’, though.
Example #2: another usage of “ame”
watashi wa ame ga suki desu – 私は雨が好きです (わたしはあめがすきです)
I love rain.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- suki – 好き (すき) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to love’.
- 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 “suki” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “ame”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “ga”, to become the object in the sentence. When we want to say “rain” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “ame” in detail. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- ame – 雨 (あめ) : a noun meaning ‘rain’ in Japanese. Grammatically, this is a noun. Japanese native speakers, however, do not pay much attention to the difference between nouns and some adjectives. So, this noun can work like an adjective to mean ‘rainy’ in Japanese, especially in speaking. It’s worth knowing. When we want to say “rain” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a very good option.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.