What does “takusan” mean in Japanese?
Grammatically “takusan” is not an adverb, but native speakers normally use it as an adverb of degree to mean ‘many’, ‘much’, or such in Japanese. Basically, they write it in hiragana, but in this blog post I will explain it 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 better understand this Japanese adverb of degree more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “takusan”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “takusan”.
- takusan – 沢山 (たくさん) : a noun, but normally used as an adverb of degree to mean ‘many’, ‘much’, or such in Japanese.
Native speakers use this word to describe a large number of things or a large amount of things. So, its usage is very similar to those of “many”, “much”, and the like in English.
Native speakers basically write this word in hiragana, but it has the kanji expression. To understand this word more clearly, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
“Takusan” in kanji
The kanji expression of “takusan” consists of the following two characters:
- 沢 : a kanji character used to describe a large number of things or a large amount of things in the old Japanese language.
- 山 : a kanji character used to mean ‘mountain‘. This can also work as a metaphor for something piled up high.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that the kanji expression of “takusan” describes something piled up very high. So, the expression is still in line with the meanings.
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 “takusan” through the detailed check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “takusan” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to use “takusan”
kare wa ryokou ni takusan okane wo tsukau – 彼は旅行にたくさんお金を使う (かれはりょこうにたくさんおかねをつかう)
He spends much money on traveling.
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 works after “kare” to make the subject in the sentence.
- ryokou – 旅行 (りょこう) : a noun meaning ‘travel’ in Japanese. This can also refer to the act of traveling.
- ni – に : a case particle used after a noun or noun equivalent word to say to which object an action is directed. In the example, this is used after “ryokou” to say to indicate the object on which he spends much money.
- okane – お金 (おかね) : a noun meaning ‘money’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “okane” to make the object in the sentence.
- tsukau – 使う (つかう) : a verb meaning ‘to use’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with “okane” to mean ‘to spend money’.
This is a typical usage of “takusan”. In the example, it is used before the noun “okane” to describe its large amount. So, its usage is very similar to that of the English adverb of degree, “much”.
Example #2: “takusan” with a negative nuance
As I explained above, “takusan” basically means ‘many’, ‘much’, or such in Japanese. When it is used especially with a negative nuance, however, it can also mean ‘enough’, ‘sufficient’, ‘no more’, or such. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
iiwake wa takusan desu! – 言い訳はたくさんです! (いいわけはたくさんです!)
No more excuses!
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- iiwake – 言い訳 (いいわけ) : a noun meaning ‘excuse’, ‘apology’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- 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 “takusan” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “takusan”. Like this example, it can work with a negative nuance to mean ‘no more’. It’s worth knowing.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “takusan” and its kanji expression in detail. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- takusan – 沢山 (たくさん) : a noun, but normally used as an adverb of degree to mean ‘many’, ‘much’, or such in Japanese. Native speakers use this word to describe a large number of things or a large amount of things. They basically write this in hiragana, but the kanji expression is still in line with the meanings: these two kanji characters describe something piled up very high. When this is used especially with a negative nuance, this can also mean ‘enough’, ‘sufficient’, ‘no more’, or such.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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