What does “sakki” mean in Japanese?
There are some homophones, but native speakers use sakki normally to mean ‘just a moment ago’ 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 it together with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand sakki more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “sakki”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of sakki.
- sakki – さっき : an adverb meaning ‘just a moment ago’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this adverb normally to mean ‘just a moment ago’ in Japanese. It can refer to a point in the past which is still very close to now. Depending on the context and situation, however, it can also mean ‘just now’ or such. It’s worth knowing.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this adverb through the example sentences below.
How to say “just a moment ago” in Japanese
boku wa sakki kanojo to at ta yo – 僕はさっき彼女と会ったよ (ぼくはさっきかのじょとあったよ)
I met her just a moment ago.
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 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 whom the speaker met just a moment ago.
- at – 会っ (あっ) : one conjugation of the verb, au, which means ‘to meet’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after at to make its past tense form, at ta.
- yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle often 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 fact softly.
This is a typical usage of sakki. It is an adverb, so can work almost anywhere in a sentence to mean ‘just a moment ago’ in Japanese.
Another example of “sakki”
watashi wa sakki made kaisha ni i mashi ta – 私はさっきまで会社にいました (わたしはさっきまでかいしゃにいました)
I was at the office until just a moment ago.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- made – まで : an adverbial particle used to indicate a point in time until which someone is doing something or someone is somewhere. In the example, this is used after sakki to say until when the speaker was at the office.
- kaisha – 会社 (かいしゃ) : a noun meaning a ‘company’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural. In the example, this is used to mean ‘the office’, though.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something is. In the example, this is used after kaisha to say where the speaker was until just a moment ago.
- i – い : one conjugation of the verb, iru, which means ‘to present’ or just ‘to be’ 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, i, to make it sound polite.
This is another example of sakki. In this example, it works together with the adverbial particle, made, to mean ‘until just a moment ago’ in Japanese.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of sakki together with the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- sakki – さっき : an adverb meaning ‘just a moment ago’ in Japanese. Native speakers use this adverb normally to mean ‘just a moment ago’ in Japanese. It can refer to a point in the past which is still very close to now. Depending on the context and situation, however, it can also mean ‘just now’ or such. It’s worth knowing.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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