Shizukana vs. Shizuka: which should we use to say “quiet” in Japanese?

How to say “quiet” in Japanese

Native speakers would say “shizukana” or “shizuka” to mean ‘quiet’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know these two words as they are sometimes used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain them in detail from the grammatical point of view. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand which to use more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “shizukana”
  • Example #1: how to use “shizukana”
• Definition and meanings of “shizuka”
  • Example #2: how to use “shizuka” in Japanese
• Shizukana vs. Shizuka: which to use
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “shizukana”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “shizukana”.

• shizukana – 静かな (しずかな) : a na-adjective meaning ‘quiet’, ‘calm’, ‘silent’, or such in Japanese.

Japanese people use this na-adjective to describe someone or something that does not make any noise or sound. So, its usage is similar to those of the English adjectives above, I think.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult. Then, let me explain how to use “shizukana” through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to use “shizukana”

Below are the new words used in the example 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, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• kareshi – 彼氏 (かれし) : a noun meaning ‘boyfriend’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi no kareshi” to make the subject in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works to emphasize the meaning of its following word.
• hito – 人 (ひと) : a noun meaning ‘person’ in Japanese.
• 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 is used after “totemo shizukana hito” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “shizukana”. In this example, it works as a modifier to describe its following noun. Fortunately, the formed phrase, “shizukana hito”, has completely the same structure as the English one, “quiet person”, does. So, Japanese learners, especially those who are familiar with English, can easily understand this usage, I think.

In English, “quiet” can work as both a modifier and a complement; in Japanese, “shizukana” can work only before a noun or noun equivalent word. Next, therefore, let me explain how to say “quiet” after a verb in a sentence.

Definition and meanings of “shizuka”

Below are the definition and meanings of “shizuka”.

• shizuka – 静か (しずか) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “shizukana”, which means ‘quiet’, ‘calm’, ‘silent’, or such in Japanese.

“Na” in “shizukana” is a conjugative suffix. However, it is often just omitted instead of being conjugated when the na-adjective works as a complement in a sentence. Only “shizuka” remains as the word stem, but still has the same meanings. In short, “shizuka” is not really a conjugation of “shizukana”, but a conjugation-like word having the same meanings.

Then, let me explain how to use “shizuka” through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to use “shizuka”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what “kanojo” has said.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ 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 “kanojo” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu”, which means ‘to say’, ‘to tell’, or such 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. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.

This is a typical usage of “shizuka”. In the clause in the sentence, it works as a complement to mean ‘quiet’ in Japanese. “Shizukana” cannot work as a complement in a sentence, so “shizuka” is a very good option for this usage.

Shizukana vs. Shizuka: which to use

So far, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “shizukana” and “shizuka” in detail from the grammatical point of view. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Then, which should we use to say “quiet” in Japanese? You may already know the answer: when we need a modifier to describe something quiet, we should use “shizukana” before a noun or noun equivalent word; when we need a complement working after a verb in a sentence, we should use “shizuka”. We need to be careful with their difference.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “shizukana” and “shizuka” and how they are different. Let me summarize them as follows.

• shizukana – 静かな (しずかな) : a na-adjective meaning ‘quiet’, ‘calm’, ‘silent’, or such in Japanese. Native speakers use this na-adjective to describe someone or something that does not make any noise or sound. When we need a modifier to describe something quiet, we should use this na-adjective before a noun or noun equivalent word.
• shizuka – 静か (しずか) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “shizukana”, which means ‘quiet’, ‘calm’, ‘silent’, or such in Japanese. When we need a complement working after a verb in a sentence, we should use this to mean ‘quiet’ or such in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.