What does “tamashii” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “tamashii” often to mean ‘soul’ 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 “tamashii” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “tamashii”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “tamashii”.
- tamashii – 魂 (たましい) : a noun meaning ‘soul’ or ‘spirit’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to a spiritual part inside someone which is strongly related to his/her character, personality, or way of living. So, the usage is very similar to those of the English nouns written above, I think.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji parts in detail, one by one.
What does “tamashii” literally mean in Japanese?
The kanji character of “tamashii” consists of the following two parts:
- 云 : a kanji character occasionally used to refer to the act of telling.
- 鬼 : a kanji character used to mean a daemon. This can also mean a dead person.
From these two parts, we can understand that “tamashii” literally means “dead person’s telling” in Japanese. This literal interpretation does not seem to be in line with the actual meanings. However, it’s worth mentioning here that many Japanese people believe that people tell something through their souls even after they have died. So, interestingly, the literal interpretation is still close to the actual meanings.
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 “tamashii” through the detailed check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “tamashii” together with its kanji parts. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “soul” in Japanese
kanojo wa sakuhin ni tamashii wo kome ta – 彼女は作品に魂を込めた (かのじょはさくひんにたましいをこめた)
She put her heart and soul into her artwork.
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.
- sakuhin – 作品 (さくひん) : a noun meaning ‘product’ in Japanese. Depending on the context, this can also mean ‘work’ or ‘artwork’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say to which object an action is directed. In the example, this is used after “sakuhin” to indicate the object into which she put her heart and soul.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “tamashii” to make the object in the sentence.
- kome – 込め (こめ) : one conjugation of the verb, “komeru”, which means ‘to load’, ‘to put’, 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 “kome” to make its past tense form, “kome ta”.
This is a typical usage of “tamashii”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used phrase, “tamashii wo komeru”, which means “to put someone’s heart and soul” in Japanese. When we want to mean a ‘soul’ or ‘souls’ in Japanese, anyway, “tamashii” is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “tamashii”
kanojo no sakuhin wa boku no tamashii wo yusabut ta – 彼女の作品は僕の魂を揺さぶった (かのじょのさくひんはぼくのたましいをゆさぶった)
Her artwork moved my soul.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. The first “no” is used after “kanojo” to make its possessive case, “kanojo no”, which means ‘her’ in Japanese.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- no – の : the same as explained above. The second “no” is used after “boku” to make its possessive case, “boku no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- yusabut – 揺さぶっ (ゆさぶっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “yusaburu”, which means ‘to shake’, ‘to swing’, ‘to shock’, ‘to move’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
This is another typical usage of “tamashii”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used phrase, “tamashii wo yusaburu”, which means “to move someone’s soul” in Japanese. Japanese people use this phrase when their souls are moved or touched.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “tamashii” 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.
- tamashii – 魂 (たましい) : a noun meaning ‘soul’ or ‘spirit’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun to refer to a spiritual part inside someone which is strongly related to his/her character, personality, or way of living. So, the usage is very similar to those of the English nouns written above, I think. When we want to mean a ‘soul’ or ‘souls’ in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
