Selfie in Japanese: jidori, explained based on the kanji expression

How to say “selfie” in Japanese

Japanese people would say “jidori”. It is the Japanese word for ‘selfie’. 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. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “jidori”
• “Jidori” in kanji
• Example #1: how to say “selfie” in Japanese
• Example #2: another usage of “jidori”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “jidori”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “jidori”.

• jidori – 自撮り (じどり) : a noun meaning ‘selfie’ in Japanese. It can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘selfies’. Learn more about Japanese plural.

The definition and meaning are quite simple and clear, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

“Jidori” in kanji

Below are the kanji characters used in “jidori”

• 自 : a kanji character often used like a prefix to add the meaning of “self” to its following word.
• 撮 : a kanji character often used to express the act of “filming” or “shooting”.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “jidori” literally means ‘self filming’ or ‘self shooting’. The kanji concepts seem to be completely in line with the meaning.

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 “jidori” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “jidori” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “selfie” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kore – これ : a demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘this’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is used after “kore” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, it is put after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb put after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably it is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, it is put after “jidori” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “jidori”. When we want to say “selfie” or “selfies” in Japanese, it would be the best choice.

Example #2: another usage of “jidori”

Below are the particle and new words used in the example sentence.

• anata – あなた : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is used after “anata” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• yoku – よく : an adverb meaning ‘often’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is used after “jidori” to make the object word in the sentence.
• shi – し : one conjugation of the verb, “suru”, which means ‘to do’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• masu – ます : an auxiliary verb put after a verb to make it polite. Probably it is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “shi”, to make it sound polite.
• ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question. As its definition suggests, it is put at the end of the example sentence to make the question.

This is another typical usage of “jidori”. In this example, it is used as a part of the idiomatic expression, “jidori wo shi masu”, which means ‘to take a selfie (or selfies)’. This should be learnt together with its less-polite version, “jidori wo suru”. When we want to say “to take a selfie (or selfies)” in Japanese, we can use either.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the word, “jidori”, 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.

• jidori – 自撮り (じどり) : a noun meaning ‘selfie’ in Japanese. It can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘selfies’. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘self filming’ or ‘self shooting’. So, the kanji concepts are completely in line with the meaning.
• jidori wo suru – 自撮りをする (じどりをする) : a Japanese idiomatic expression for ‘to take a selfie (or selfies)’. This should be learnt together with its polite version, “jidori wo shi masu”.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.