What does “uragirimono” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “uragirimono” often to mean ‘backstabber’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, video games, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “uragirimono” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “uragirimono”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “uragirimono”.
- uragirimono – 裏切り者 (うらぎりもの) : a noun meaning ‘backstabber’ in Japanese. This can also mean ‘traitor’ or ‘betrayer’ depending on the context and situation. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult. The meanings seem to be based on the same concept. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.
What does “uragirimono” literally mean?
“Uragirimono” consists of the following two components:
- uragiri – 裏切り (うらぎり) : the noun form of the verb, “uragiru”, which means ‘to backstab’ or ‘to betray’ in Japanese.
- mono – 者 (もの) : a noun meaning ‘person’ or ‘people’ in Japanese.
From these two components, we can understand that the formed noun literally means a ‘backstabber’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is completely in line with the actual meanings.
When we meet new Japanese words, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about the meanings of the words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “uragirimono” through the detailed check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “uragirimono” together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “backstabber” in Japanese
kanojo wa uragirimono desu – 彼女は裏切り者です (かのじょはうらぎりものです)
She is a backstabber.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- 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 “uragirimono” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “uragirimono”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence.
Example #2: another usage of “uragirimono”
「watashi wa uragirimono yo」 to kanojo ga it ta – 「私は裏切り者よ」と彼女が言った (「わたしはうらぎりものよ」とかのじょがいった)
“I’m a backstabber,” she said.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a strong way. In the example, this is used at the end of the clause to state the fact strongly.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what she said.
- 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 “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu“, which means ‘to say’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.
This is another typical usage of “uragirimono”. When we want to mean a ‘backstabber’ in Japanese, this noun is always a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “uragirimono” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- uragirimono – 裏切り者 (うらぎりもの) : a noun meaning ‘backstabber’ in Japanese. This can also mean ‘traitor’ or ‘betrayer’ depending on the context and situation. This can also work as plural. This noun consists of two components, “uragiri” and “mono”, which literally mean a ‘backstabber’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
