How to say “sugar” in Japanese
Japanese people would say “satou”. It is the Japanese word for ‘sugar’. Very simple, I think. 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. Let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “satou”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “satou”.
- satou – 砂糖 (さとう) : a noun meaning ‘sugar’ in Japanese.
Its definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
“Satou” in kanji
The kanji expression of “satou” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 砂 : a kanji character used to mean ‘sand’ in Japanese. This kanji can also work as a metaphor for fine particles.
- 糖 : a kanji character used to mean ‘sugar’ in Japanese.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “satou” literally means ‘fine sugar’. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think.
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 meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “satou” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “satou” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “sugar” in Japanese
kare wa satou ga totemo suki desu – 彼は砂糖がとても好きです (かれはさとうがとてもすきです)
He loves sugar so much.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after “kare” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- 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 “satou” to make the object word in the sentence.
- totemo – とても : an adverb of degree, meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, ‘pretty’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this is used before “suki” to emphasize its meaning.
- suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. In reality, however, Japanese people often use this like an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to love’ 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 “suki” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “satou”. When we want to say “sugar” in Japanese, this word would be the best choice.
Example #2: another usage of “satou”
satou no tori sugi wa kenkou ni yoku nai – 砂糖の摂り過ぎは健康に良くない (さとうのとりすぎはけんこうによくない)
Too much sugar is not good for our health.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally the preceding noun works to modify the meaning of the following noun. In the example, this joins “satou” and “tori sugi”. The formed phrase literally means ‘taking too much sugar’. It has been translated as “too mush sugar”, though.
- tori – 摂り (とり) : one conjugation of the verb, “toru”, which means ‘to take’ or ‘to consume’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- sugi – 過ぎ (すぎ) : one conjugation of the verb, “sugiru”, which is used to add the meaning of ‘too’ or ‘over’ to its preceding verb. This conjugation can be considered as the noun form of “sugiru”. So, “tori sugi” in the example can work like a noun.
- kenkou – 健康 (けんこう) : a noun meaning ‘health’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to indicate an object to which an action or effect is heading. In the example, this is used after “kenkou” to say where the effect is going.
- yoku – 良く (よく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “yoi“, which means ‘good’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. In the example, this is used after “yoku” to deny its meaning.
This is another typical usage of “satou”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “satou no tori sugi”, which means ‘too much sugar’, ‘taking too much sugar’, or such in Japanese.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “satou” 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.
- satou – 砂糖 (さとう) : a noun meaning ‘sugar’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘fine sugar’. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. When we want to say “sugar” in Japanese, this word would be the best choice.
- satou no tori sugi – 砂糖の摂り過ぎ (さとうのとりすぎ) : a commonly-used expression for ‘too much sugar’, ‘taking too much sugar’, or such.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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