What does “shizuku” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “shizuku” to mean ‘droplet’ 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 character. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “shizuku” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “shizuku”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “shizuku”.
- shizuku – 雫 (しずく) : a noun meaning ‘droplet’ or just ‘drop’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to a small amount of liquid which usually has a round shape. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to those of the English ones like “droplet” and “drop”, I think.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji character in detail.
Shizuku in kanji
The kanji character of “shizuku” consists of the following two parts:
- 雨 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘rain’.
- 下 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘down’, ‘bottom’, ‘under’, ‘below’, or such. This can also be used to express the act of falling or going down.
These two parts tell us that “shizuku” literally means ‘falling rain’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Falling rain can be considered as a collection of droplets.
When we meet new kanji characters, we should check their parts in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji parts tell us a lot about the meanings of the characters they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “shizuku” through the detailed check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “shizuku” together with its kanji parts. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “droplet” in Japanese
kanojo wa happa ni chiisai shizuku wo mitsuke ta – 彼女は葉っぱに小さい雫を見つけた (かのじょははっぱにちいさいしずくをみつけた)
She found a small droplet on a leaf.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- happa – 葉っぱ (はっぱ) : a noun meaning ‘leaf’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something is. In the example, this is used after “happa” to say where the small droplet is.
- chiisai – 小さい (ちいさい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘small’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “chiisai shizuku” to make the object in the sentence.
- mitsuke – 見つけ (みつけ) : one conjugation of the verb, “mitsukeru“, which means ‘to find’ 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 “mitsuke” to make its past tense form, “mitsuke ta”.
This is a typical usage of “shizuku”. In this example, it works together with “chiisai” to mean a ‘small droplet’ in Japanese. When we want to refer to a small amount of liquid in a round shape in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “shizuku”
tokorode kanojo no namae wa shizuku desu – ところで彼女の名前はしずくです (ところでかのじょのなまえはしずくです)
By the way, her name is Shizuku.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- tokorode – ところで : a conjunction meaning ‘by the way’ 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 “kanojo” to make its possessive case, “kanojo no”, which means ‘her’ in Japanese.
- namae – 名前 (なまえ) : a noun meaning ‘name’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- 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 “shizuku” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “shizuku”. In this example, it works as a Japanese female name.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “shizuku” in detail based on its kanji character. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- shizuku – 雫 (しずく) : a noun meaning ‘droplet’ or just ‘drop’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun to refer to a small amount of liquid which usually has a round shape. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to those of the English ones like “droplet” and “drop”. This kanji character literally means ‘falling rain’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Falling rain can be considered as a collection of droplets. It’s also worth mentioning here that “shizuku” can work as a Japanese female name.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.