What does “yuki” mean in Japanese?
There are some homophones in Japanese. When native speakers use “yuki” as an individual word, however, it means ‘snow’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word well as it is often 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 “yuki” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “yuki”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “yuki”.
- yuki – 雪 (ゆき) : a noun meaning ‘snow’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to flakes of frozen water falling from the sky or piling up on the ground. So, its usage is very similar to that of the English noun, “snow”, I think.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji components in detail, one by one.
Yuki in kanji
The kanji character of “yuki” consists of the following two components:
- 雨 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘rain’ in Japanese.
- ヨ : a kanji radical expressing a snout.
From these two kanji components, we can understand that “yuki” literally means ‘rain and snout’ in Japanese. This kanji concept is not in line with the meaning, but the shape of the radical for a snout looks like layers of snow. So, this kanji character is not so far from what it wants to mean, I think.
When we meet new kanji characters, we should check their components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji components tell us a lot about meanings of characters they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “yuki” through the detailed check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “yuki” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “snow” in Japanese
kyou wa yuki ga fut te iru – 今日は雪が降っている (きょうはゆきがふっている)
Snow is falling today.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works as a topic marker after “kyou” to put a focus on it.
- 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 “yuki” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- fut – 降っ (ふっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “furu”, which means ‘to fall’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “fut” to make its te form, “fut te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
- iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by the preceding verb. In the example, this is used after the te-formed verb, “fut te”, to express the continuity of its action, ‘to fall’.
This is a typical usage of “yuki”. In this example, it works as a part of the widely-used expression, “yuki ga fut te iru”, which literally means ‘snow is falling’ in Japanese. Perhaps, it should be translated into English as “it’s snowing”, though.
Example #2: another usage of “yuki”
boku wa yuki ga suki desu – 僕は雪が好きです (ぼくはゆきがすきです)
I like snow.
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.
- 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 like’.
- 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 “suki” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “yuki”. When we want to say “snow” in Japanese, this noun is always a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “yuki” 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.
- yuki – 雪 (ゆき) : a noun meaning ‘snow’ in Japanese. Native speakers use this to refer to flakes of frozen water falling from the sky or piling up on the ground. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to that of the English one, “snow”, I think. This kanji literally means ‘rain and snout’ in Japanese. The kanji concept is not in line with the meaning, but the shape of the radical for a snout, “ヨ”, looks like layers of snow. So, this kanji character is not so far from what it wants to mean.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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