How to say “sun” in Japanese
Japanese native speakers would say “taiyou”. It is the Japanese word for ‘sun’. 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 “taiyou”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “taiyou”.
- taiyou – 太陽 (たいよう) : a noun meaning ‘(the) sun’ in Japanese.
Its definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. To understand this word 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 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 “the sun is bright” 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 is used after “kyou” to provide a topic.
- 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: how to say “the sun is flat” in Japanese
watashi wa taiyou wa tairada to omoi masu – 私は太陽は平らだと思います (わたし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.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : the same as explained in the last example. The first “wa” in this example is used after “watashi” to make the subject word; the second one is used after “taiyou” to make the subject word 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 its help, we can understand that it is a quote: what “watashi” thinks in his/her mind.
- 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 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 word is always the best choice. 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 “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 ‘(the) sun’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘big sun’, ‘broad sunlight’, or such. So, what the kanji of “taiyou” express is more or less in line with its meaning.
- taiyou ga mabushii desu – 太陽が眩しいです (たいようがまぶしいです) : a Japanese expression for ‘the sun is bright’. Japanese native speakers sometimes use this expression when they talk about the weather.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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