What does “taiyou” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “taiyou” to mean ‘sun’ 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 expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “taiyou” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “taiyou”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “taiyou”.
- taiyou – 太陽 (たいよう) : a noun meaning ‘sun’ in Japanese.
Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to the star which is positioned at the center of the solar system. So, its usage is very similar to that of the English word, “the sun”, I think.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Taiyou in kanji
The kanji expression of “taiyou” consists the following two characters:
- 太 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘big’, ‘broad’, or ‘thick’ in Japanese.
- 陽 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘sun’ or ‘sunlight’ in Japanese.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “taiyou” literally means ‘big sun’, ‘broad sunlight’, or such. So, what the kanji characters express is more or less in line with the meaning.
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 “taiyou” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “taiyou” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “sun” in Japanese
kyou wa taiyou ga mabushii desu – 今日は太陽が眩しいです (きょうはたいようがまぶしいです)
The sun is bright 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 “taiyou” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- mabushii – 眩しい (まぶしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘bright’ 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 “mabushii” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “taiyou”. In this example, it works as a part of the expression, “taiyou ga mabushii desu”, which means ‘the sun is bright’ in Japanese. Japanese people often mention the sun or sunlight when they talk about the weather. So, this example sentence would be useful in conversations with them.
Next, let me explain another usage of “taiyou” as follows.
Example #2: another usage of “taiyou”
boku wa taiyou wa tairada to omoi masu – 僕は太陽は平らだと思います (ぼくはたいようはたいらだとおもいます)
I think that the sun is flat.
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.
- wa – は : the same as explained in the last example. The first “wa” in this example works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence; the second one works after “taiyou” to make the subject in the quoted clause.
- tairada – 平らだ (たいらだ) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “tairana”, which means ‘flat’ in Japanese.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, it works as a quote marker after the clause, “taiyou wa tairada”. Due to this particle, we can understand what “boku” thinks.
- omoi – 思い (おもい) : one conjugation of the verb, “omou”, which means ‘to think’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after the conjugated verb, “omoi”, to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “taiyou”. Also in this example, it works as a noun to mean ‘the sun’ in Japanese. When we want to say “the sun” in Japanese, this noun is always the best option. Unfortunately, however, Japanese people rarely use this example sentence because they think that the sun is spherical in shape.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “taiyou” 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.
- taiyou – 太陽 (たいよう) : a noun meaning ‘sun’ in Japanese. Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to the star which is positioned at the center of the solar system. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to that of the English one, “sun”, I think. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘big sun’, ‘broad sunlight’, or such. So, what the kanji characters express is more or less in line with the meaning.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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