Shizen is the Japanese word for “nature”, explained

What does “shizen” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “shizen” to mean ‘nature’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. 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 “shizen” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “shizen”
• Shizen in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “nature” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “shizen”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “shizen”

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

• shizen – 自然 (しぜん) : a noun meaning ‘nature’ in Japanese.

Japanese people use this noun to refer to the things in the world which remain not changed, not explored, and not developed. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to that of the English one, “nature”, I think.

It’s also worth mentioning here that native speakers use this noun like an adjective especially in speaking to mean ‘natural’. The border between nouns and adjectives called na-adjectives is very ambiguous in the Japanese language.

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

Shizen in kanji

The kanji expression of “shizen” consists of the following two characters:

• 自 : a kanji character widely used to add the meaning of ‘spontaneous’ or ‘natural’. This can also work as a prefix to add the meaning of ‘self-‘ or ‘auto-‘. This kanji can also be found in other words like “jidousha” and “jibun“.
• 然 : a kanji character used to mean ‘state’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “shizen” literally means ‘a natural state’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. Nature refers to the things in their natural states.

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 the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “shizen” through the detailed kanji check above.

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

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

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.
• 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 “shizen” and “utsukushisa”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the beauty of nature’ 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”.
• utsukushisa – 美しさ (うつくしさ) : the noun form of the i-adjective, “utsukushii“, which means ‘beautiful’ in Japanese.
• 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 “shizen no utsukushisa” to make the object in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation 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 the example, actually, this is used to mean ‘to love’.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “shizen”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “shizen no utsukushisa”, which means ‘the beauty of nature’ in Japanese.

Example #2: another usage of “shizen”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its plural form, “boku tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• ichibu – 一部 (いちぶ) : a noun meaning ‘one part’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters mean ‘one’ and ‘part’ respectively, so the meaning of this noun is completely in line with what its kanji characters express.

This is another typical usage of “shizen”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “shizen no ichibu”, which means ‘part of nature’ in Japanese. When we want to say “nature” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “shizen” 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.

• shizen – 自然 (しぜん) : a noun meaning ‘nature’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘a natural state’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. Nature refers to the things in their natural states. It’s also worth mentioning that native speakers use this noun like an adjective especially in speaking to mean ‘natural’. The border between nouns and adjectives called na-adjectives is very ambiguous in the Japanese language.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.