What does “tanoshimu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “tanoshimu” to mean ‘to enjoy’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “tanoshimu” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “tanoshimu”
- Tanoshimanai: the nai form of “tanoshimu”
- Tanoshimou: the volitional form of “tanoshimu”
- Tanoshimimasu: the masu form of “tanoshimu”
- Tanoshinda: the past tense form of “tanoshimu”
- Tanoshinde: the te form of “tanoshimu”
- Tanoshimeba: the ba form of “tanoshimu”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “tanoshimu”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “tanoshimu”.
- tanoshimu – 楽しむ (たのしむ) : a verb meaning ‘to enjoy’ in Japanese.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “enjoy” in Japanese
boku wa maiban dokusho wo tanoshimu – 僕は毎晩読書を楽しむ (ぼくはまいばんどくしょをたのしむ)
I enjoy reading every night.
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 : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
- maiban – 毎晩 (まいばん) : a noun meaning ‘every night’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to say “every night” in Japanese.
- dokusho – 読書 (どくしょ) : a noun meaning ‘reading’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “dokusho” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “tanoshimu”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to enjoy’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is always a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “tanoshimu” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “tanoshimanai”.
Tanoshimanai: the nai form of “tanoshimu”
Below are the definition and meaning of “tanoshimanai”.
- tanoshimanai – 楽しまない (たのしまない) : the nai form of “tanoshimu”, which means ‘not to enjoy’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “tanoshimanai” consists of the following two parts:
- tanoshima – 楽しま (たのしま) : one conjugation of “tanoshimu”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “tanoshimanai” is literally the nai form of “tanoshimu” and means ‘not to enjoy’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not enjoy” in Japanese
watashi wa mou inshu wo tanoshimanai – 私はもう飲酒を楽しまない (わたしはもういんしゅをたのしまない)
I don’t enjoy drinking anymore.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- mou – もう : an adverb meaning ‘anymore’ or such in Japanese.
- inshu – 飲酒 (いんしゅ) : a noun meaning ‘drinking (alcohol)’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “tanoshimanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to enjoy’ in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.
Tanoshimou: the volitional form of “tanoshimu”
Below are the definition and meaning of “tanoshimou”.
- tanoshimou – 楽しもう (たのしもう) : the volitional form of “tanoshimu”, which expresses volition to enjoy.
Grammatically, “tanoshimou” consists of the following two parts:
- tanoshimo – 楽しも (たのしも) : one conjugation of “tanoshimu”. This can have a smooth connection with “u”.
- u – う : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “tanoshimou” is literally the volitional form of “tanoshimu” and expresses volition to enjoy in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s enjoy” in Japanese
tokyo no taizai wo tanoshimou – 東京の滞在を楽しもう (とうきょうのたいざいをたのしもう)
Let’s enjoy our stay in Tokyo!
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- tokyo – 東京 (とうきょう) : a noun meaning ‘Tokyo’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “tokyo” and “taizai”. The formed phrase literally means a ‘stay in Tokyo’ in Japanese.
- taizai – 滞在 (たいざい) : a noun meaning ‘stay’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “tanoshimou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s enjoy” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Tanoshimimasu: the masu form of “tanoshimu”
Below are the definition and meaning of “tanoshimimasu”.
- tanoshimimasu – 楽しみます (たのしみます) : the masu form of “tanoshimu”, which means ‘to enjoy’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “tanoshimimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- tanoshimi – 楽しみ (たのしみ) : one conjugation of “tanoshimu”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
- 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.
From these two parts, we can understand that “tanoshimimasu” is literally the masu form of “tanoshimu” and means ‘to enjoy’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “enjoy” politely in Japanese
seito wa maiasa dokusho wo tanoshimimasu – 生徒は毎朝読書を楽しみます (せいとはまいあさどくしょをたのしみます)
Students enjoy reading every morning.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- seito – 生徒 (せいと) : a noun meaning ‘student’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- maiasa – 毎朝 (まいあさ) : a noun meaning ‘every morning’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to say “this morning” in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “tanoshimimasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to say “enjoy” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.
Tanoshinda: the past tense form of “tanoshimu”
Below are the definition and meanings of “tanoshinda”.
- tanoshinda – 楽しんだ (たのしんだ) : the past tense form of “tanoshimu”, which means ‘enjoyed’, ‘have enjoyed’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “tanoshinda” consists of the following two parts:
- tanoshin – 楽しん (たのしん) : one conjugation of “tanoshimu”. This can have a smooth connection with “da”.
- da – だ : the voiced version of “ta” which is an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “tanoshinda” is literally the past tense form of “tanoshimu” and means ‘enjoyed’, ‘have enjoyed’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “enjoyed” in Japanese
kanojo tachi wa nippon wo tanoshinda – 彼女達は日本を楽しんだ (かのじょたちはにっぽんをたのしんだ)
They enjoyed Japan.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its plural form, “kanojo tachi”, which means ‘they’ in Japanese.
- nippon – 日本 (にっぽん) : a noun meaning ‘Japan’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “tanoshinda”. When we want to use the past tense form of “tanoshimu”, this form is the best option.
Tanoshinde: the te form of “tanoshimu”
Below are the definition and meaning of “tanoshinde”.
- tanoshinde – 楽しんで (たのしんで) : the te form of “tanoshimu”, which means ‘to enjoy’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “tanoshinde” consists of the following two parts:
- tanoshin – 楽しん (たのしん) : one conjugation of “tanoshimu”. This can have a smooth connection with “de”.
- de – で : the voiced version of “te” which is a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “tanoshinde” is literally the te form of “tanoshimu”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “tanoshinde” is very useful when we want to use “tanoshimu” in front of another verb, an adjective, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “please enjoy” in Japanese
shokuji wo tanoshinde kudasai – 食事を楽しんでください (しょくじをたのしんでください)
Please enjoy your meal.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- shokuji – 食事 (しょくじ) : a noun meaning ‘meal’ or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works as an auxiliary verb after “tanoshinde” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “tanoshinde”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “tanoshimu” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Tanoshimeba: the ba form of “tanoshimu”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “tanoshimeba”.
- tanoshimeba – 楽しめば (たのしめば) : the ba form of “tanoshimu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to enjoy’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “tanoshimeba” consists of the following two parts:
- tanoshime – 楽しめ (たのしめ) : one conjugation of “tanoshimu”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “tanoshimeba” is literally the ba form of “tanoshimu”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “tanoshimeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to enjoy’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if enjoy” in Japanese
mainichi dokusho wo tanoshimeba, goi wo migakeru – 毎日読書を楽しめば、語彙を磨ける (まいにちどくしょをたのしめば、ごいをみがける)
If you enjoy reading every day, you can improve your vocabulary.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- mainichi – 毎日 (まいにち) : a noun meaning ‘every day’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb at the beginning of the sentence to say “every day” in Japanese.
- goi – 語彙 (ごい) : a noun meaning ‘vocabulary’ in Japanese.
- migakeru – 磨ける (みがける) : a potential verb meaning ‘can improve’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “tanoshimeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “mainichi dokusho wo tanoshimeba”, which means ‘if you enjoy reading every day’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to enjoy’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “tanoshimu” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- tanoshimu – 楽しむ (たのしむ) : a verb meaning ‘to enjoy’ in Japanese.
- tanoshimanai – 楽しまない (たのしまない) : the nai form of “tanoshimu”, which means ‘not to enjoy’ in Japanese.
- tanoshimou – 楽しもう (たのしもう) : the volitional form of “tanoshimu”, which expresses volition to enjoy.
- tanoshimimasu – 楽しみます (たのしみます) : the masu form of “tanoshimu”, which means ‘to enjoy’ politely in Japanese.
- tanoshinda – 楽しんだ (たのしんだ) : the past tense form of “tanoshimu”, which means ‘enjoyed’, ‘have enjoyed’, or such in Japanese.
- tanoshinde – 楽しんで (たのしんで) : the te form of “tanoshimu”, which means ‘to enjoy’ in Japanese. When we want to use “tanoshimu” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- tanoshimeba – 楽しめば (たのしめば) : the ba form of “tanoshimu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to enjoy’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
