What does “shinjiru” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “shinjiru” to mean ‘to believe’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this verb and its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “shinjiru” properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “shinjiru”
- Shinjinai: the nai form of “shinjiru”
- Shinjiyou: the volitional form of “shinjiru”
- Shinjimasu: the masu form of “shinjiru”
- Shinjita: the ta form of “shinjiru”
- Shinjite: the te form of “shinjiru”
- Shinjireba: the ba form of “shinjiru”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “shinjiru”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “shinjiru”.
- shinjiru – 信じる (しんじる) : a verb meaning ‘to believe’ or ‘to trust’ in Japanese.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. Let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “believe” in Japanese
boku wa tamashii no sonzai wo shinjiru – 僕は魂の存在を信じる (ぼくはたましいのそんざいをしんじる)
I believe in the existence of souls.
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.
- tamashii – 魂 (たましい) : a noun meaning ‘soul’ or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “tamashii” and “sonzai”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the existence of souls’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
- sonzai – 存在 (そんざい) : a noun meaning ‘existence’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “tamashii no sonzai” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “shinjiru”. It often works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object like in this example. It’s worth knowing. When we want to mean ‘to believe’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a very good option.
In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain major conjugations of “shinjiru”. The first one is “shinjinai”.
Shinjinai: the nai form of “shinjiru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “shinjinai”.
- shinjinai – 信じない (しんじない) : the nai form of “shinjiru”, which means ‘not to believe’ or ‘not to trust’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “shinjinai” consists of the following two parts:
- shinji – 信じ (しんじ) : one conjugation of “shinjiru”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “shinjinai” is literally the nai form of “shinjiru” and means ‘not to believe’ or ‘not to trust’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “don’t believe” in Japanese
watashi wa kami wo shinjinai – 私は神を信じない (わたしはかみをしんじない)
I don’t believe in God.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- kami – 神 (かみ) : a noun meaning ‘God’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “shinjinai”. When we want to mean ‘not to believe’ in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.
Shinjiyou: the volitional form of “shinjiru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “shinjiyou”.
- shinjiyou – 信じよう (しんじよう) : the volitional form of “shinjiru”, which expresses volition to believe.
Grammatically, “shinjiyou” consists of the following two parts:
- shinji – 信じ (しんじ) : one conjugation of “shinjiru”. This can have a smooth connection with “you”.
- you – よう : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “shinjiyou” is literally the volitional form of “shinjiru” and expresses volition to believe. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s believe” in Japanese
kiseki wo shinjiyou – 奇跡を信じよう (きせきをしんじよう)
Let’s believe in miracles!
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- kiseki – 奇跡 (きせき) : a noun meaning ‘miracle’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “shinjiyou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s believe” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Shinjimasu: the masu form of “shinjiru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “shinjimasu”.
- shinjimasu – 信じます (しんじます) : the masu form of “shinjiru”, which means ‘to believe’ or ‘to trust’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “shinjimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- shinji – 信じ (しんじ) : one conjugation of “shinjiru”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “shinjimasu” is literally the masu form of “shinjiru” and means ‘to believe’ or ‘to trust’ politely in Japanese. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “believe” politely in Japanese
boku mo kami wo shinjimasu – 僕も神を信じます (ぼくもかみをしんじます)
I believe in God, too.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘also’, ‘as well’, or ‘too’.
This is a typical usage of “shinjimasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite because of the masu form. When we want to say “believe” politely in Japanese, this form is very useful.
Shinjita: the ta form of “shinjiru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “shinjita”.
- shinjita – 信じた (しんじた) : the ta form of “shinjiru”, which means ‘believed’ or ‘trusted’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “shinjita” consists of the following two parts:
- shinji – 信じ (しんじ) : one conjugation of “shinjiru”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- 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.
From these two parts, we can understand that “shinjita” is literally the ta form of “shinjiru” and means ‘believed’ or ‘trusted’ in Japanese. Let me explain its usage through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “believed” in Japanese
kanojo wa kare no uso wo shinjita – 彼女は彼の嘘を信じた (かのじょはかれのうそをしんじた)
She believed his lies.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “kare” to make its possessive case, “kare no”, which means ‘his’ in Japanese.
- uso – 嘘 (うそ) : a noun meaning ‘lie’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “shinjita”. When we want to say “believed” in Japanese, this ta form is a very good option.
Shinjite: the te form of “shinjiru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “shinjite”.
- shinjite – 信じて (しんじて) : the te form of “shinjiru”, which means ‘to believe’ or ‘to trust’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “shinjite” consists of the following two parts:
- shinji – 信じ (しんじ) : one conjugation of “shinjiru”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “shinjite” is literally the te form of “shinjiru”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “shinjite” is very useful when we want to use “shinjiru” before another verb, an adjective, or an auxiliary verb with a smooth connection. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “believe and” in Japanese
kanojo wa kare no uso wo shinjite matsu – 彼女は彼の嘘を信じて待つ (かのじょはかれのうそをしんじてまつ)
She believes his lie and waits for him.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- matsu – 待つ (まつ) : a verb meaning ‘to wait’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “shinjite”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with “matsu”. When we want to use “shinjiru” before another verb with a smooth connection, its te form is very useful.
Shinjireba: the ba form of “shinjiru”
Below are the definition and meanings of “shinjireba”.
- shinjireba – 信じれば (しんじれば) : the ba form of “shinjiru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to believe’ or ‘to trust’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “shinjireba” consists of the following two parts:
- shinjire – 信じれ (しんじれ) : one conjugation of “shinjiru”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “shinjireba” is literally the ba form of “shinjiru”. In Japanese, ba-formed words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “shinjireba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to believe’ or ‘to trust’. Let me explain its usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if believe” in Japanese
kare no uso wo shinjireba kanojo wa kizutsuku – 彼の嘘を信じれば彼女は傷付く (かれのうそをしんじればかのじょはきずつく)
If she believes his lies, she will get hurt.
Below is the new words used in the example sentence.
- kizutsuku – 傷付く (きずつく) : a verb meaning ‘to get hurt’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “shinjireba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kare no uso wo shinjireba”, which means ‘if she believes his lies’. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to believe’, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “shinjiru” and its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- shinjiru – 信じる (しんじる) : a verb meaning ‘to believe’ or ‘to trust’ in Japanese.
- shinjinai – 信じない (しんじない) : the nai form of “shinjiru”, which means ‘not to believe’ or ‘not to trust’ in Japanese.
- shinjiyou – 信じよう (しんじよう) : the volitional form of “shinjiru”, which expresses volition to believe.
- shinjimasu – 信じます (しんじます) : the masu form of “shinjiru”, which means ‘to believe’ or ‘to trust’ politely in Japanese.
- shinjita – 信じた (しんじた) : the ta form of “shinjiru”, which means ‘believed’ or ‘trusted’ in Japanese.
- shinjite – 信じて (しんじて) : the te form of “shinjiru”, which means ‘to believe’ or ‘to trust’ in Japanese.
- shinjireba – 信じれば (しんじれば) : the ba form of “shinjiru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to believe’ or ‘to trust’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
Learn more vocabulary on the app!
You can improve your Japanese vocabulary with our flashcards.