What does “sekai” mean in Japanese?
Japanese people say “sekai” to mean ‘world’ in Japanese. Very simple, I think. 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 “sekai” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “sekai”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “sekai”.
- sekai – 世界 (せかい) : a noun meaning ‘the world’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to this universe we all live in. It’s also worth mentioning here that they sometimes use it together with a prefix or suffix to make a longer noun like “isekai“.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
“Sekai” in kanji
The kanji expression of “sekai” consists of the following two characters:
- 世 : a kanji character used to express a place where people live.
- 界 : a kanji character used to mean ‘world’, ‘society’, or ‘community’.
The second kanji character is widely used in Buddhism to express spiritual stages. To tell the truth, “sekai” itself originally came from the religion. In the old Japanese language, it was used to refer to the place where people were living with religious nuances. Today, it works just as a noun to refer to the world where we are living.
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 “sekai” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “sekai” through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “this world” in Japanese
kono sekai wa utsukushii – この世界は美しい (このせかいはうつくしい)
This world is beautiful.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kono – この : a determiner used before a noun which refers to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this works before “sekai” to say “this world” in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after the noun phrase, “kono sekai”, to make the subject in the sentence.
- utsukushii – 美しい (うつくしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘beautiful’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “sekai”. In this example, it works together with the determiner to say “this world” in Japanese. Probably, the formed phrase, “kono sekai”, is common among Japanese learners because it is quite often used in Japanese movies, anime, and the like. Anyway, when we want to say “world” in Japanese, “sekai” is a very good option.
Next, then, let me explain an expression related to “sekai”.
Definition and meaning of “sekaiichi”
Below are the definition and meaning of “sekaiichi”.
- sekaiichi – 世界一 (せかいいち) : a noun meaning ‘being the best in the world’ in Japanese.
“Ichi” is a numeral which means ‘one’ in Japanese. Here, it is added after “sekai”. The formed noun, “sekaiichi”, is widely used to mean ‘being the best in the world’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can also work like a modifier to add the meaning of ‘the best in the world’ to its following words. In fact, native speakers often use it to modify its following words especially in speaking.
Then, let me explain how to use “sekaiichi” through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “the most in the world” in Japanese
kanojo wa sekaiichi utsukushii josei desu – 彼女は世界一美しい女性です (かのじょはせかいいちうつくしいじょせいです)
She is the most beautiful woman in the world.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- josei – 女性 (じょせい) : a noun meaning ‘woman’ or ‘women’ in Japanese. In this example, this works as a singular noun to mean ‘woman’.
- 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 works after the noun phrase, “sekaiichi utsukushii josei”, to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “sekaiichi”. In this example, it is not used alone, but together with the i-adjective, “utsukushii”, to mean ‘the most beautiful’ in Japanese. This means that “sekaiichi” can work to add the meaning of ‘the most in the world’ depending on its following adjective. It’s worth knowing, I think.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “sekai” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained its related expression, “sekaiichi”. Let me summarize them as follows.
- sekai – 世界 (せかい) : a noun meaning ‘the world’ in Japanese. This word originally came from Buddhism where it is used to mean a place people are living.
- sekaiichi – 世界一 (せかいいち) : a noun meaning ‘being the best in the world’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, this can also work like an adjective to mean ‘the best in the world’. Depending on the adjective used together, it can also add the meaning of ‘the most in the world’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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