What does “tsubaki” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “tsubaki” to mean ‘camellia’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is somehow used in Japanese movies, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji character. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “tsubaki” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “tsubaki”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “tsubaki”.
- tsubaki – 椿 (つばき) : a noun meaning ‘camellia’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji character in detail.
Tsubaki in kanji
The kanji character of “tsubaki” consists of the following two parts:
- 木 : a kanji radical related to trees.
- 春 : a kanji character used to mean ‘spring’ in Japanese.
These two kanji parts tell us that “tsubaki” literally means a ‘spring tree’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. Camellias are often in bloom just before spring.
When we meet new kanji characters, we should check their parts in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji parts tell us a lot about the meanings of the characters they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “tsubaki” through the detailed check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “tsubaki” together with its kanji character. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences.
Example #1: how to say “camellia” in Japanese
tsubaki wa watashi no sukina hana desu – 椿は私の好きな花です (つばきはわたしのすきなはなです)
Camellias are my favorite flowers.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “tsubaki” to make the subject in the sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- sukina – 好きな (すきな) : a na-adjective meaning ‘favorite’ in Japanese.
- hana – 花 (はな) : a noun meaning ‘flower’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it sound polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “watashi no sukina hana” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “tsubaki”. In this example, it works together with the binding particle, “wa”, to become the subject in the sentence.
Example #2: another usage of “tsubaki”
kanojo tachi mo tsubaki ga suki desu – 彼女達も椿が好きです (かのじょたちもつばきがすきです)
They love camellias, too.
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.
- mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’, ‘also’, or ‘as well’. In the example, this works after “kanojo tachi” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
- 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 “tsubaki” to make the object in the sentence.
- suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to love’ in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “tsubaki”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “ga”, to become the object in the sentence. When we want to mean ‘camellia’ in Japanese, anyway, “tsubaki” is always a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “tsubaki” in detail based on its kanji character. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- tsubaki – 椿 (つばき) : a noun meaning ‘camellia’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. This kanji character literally means a ‘spring tree’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. Camellias are often in bloom just before spring.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
