What does “uzai” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “uzai” often to mean ‘annoying’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word 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 “uzai” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “uzai”
- Uzakunai: the nai form of “uzai”
- Uzakatta: the ta form of “uzai”
- Uzakute: the te form of “uzai”
- Uzakereba: the ba form of “uzai”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “uzai”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “uzai”.
- uzai – うざい : an i-adjective meaning ‘annoying’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘irritating’ or ‘bothering’.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. The meanings seem to be based on very similar concepts. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “annoying” in Japanese
boku no imouto wa totemo uzai – 僕の妹はとてもうざい (ぼくのいもうとはとてもうざい)
My little sister is very annoying.
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.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its possessive case, “boku no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- imouto – 妹 (いもうと) : a noun meaning ‘little sister’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku no imouto” to make the subject in the sentence.
- totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works before “uzai” to emphasize its meaning.
This is a typical usage of “uzai”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “boku no uzai imouto” to mean ‘my annoying little sister’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing, I think.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “uzai” 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 “uzakunai”.
Uzakunai: the nai form of “uzai”
Below are the definition and meanings of “uzakunai”.
- uzakunai – うざくない : the nai form of “uzai”, which means ‘not annoying’, ‘not irritating’, or ‘not bothering’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “uzakunai” consists of the following two parts:
- uzaku – うざく : one conjugation of “uzai”. 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 similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “uzakunai” is literally the nai form of “uzai” and means ‘not annoying’, ‘not irritating’, or ‘not bothering’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not annoying” in Japanese
otouto wa zenzen uzakunai – 弟は全然うざくない (おとうとはぜんぜんうざくない)
My little brother is not annoying at all.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- otouto – 弟 (おとうと) : a noun meaning ‘little brother’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- zenzen – 全然 (ぜんぜん) : an adverb working in a negative sentence to mean ‘at all’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “uzakunai”. When we want to mean ‘not annoying’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Uzakatta: the ta form of “uzai”
Below are the definition and meanings of “uzakatta”.
- uzakatta – うざかった : the ta form of “uzai”, which means ‘was annoying’, ‘was irritating’, ‘was bothering’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “uzakatta” consists of the following two parts:
- uzakat – うざかっ : one conjugation of “uzai”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “uzakatta” is literally the ta form of “uzai” and means ‘was annoying’, ‘was irritating’, ‘was bothering’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “was annoying” in Japanese
ano kyoushi wa uzakatta – あの教師はうざかった (あのきょうしはうざかった)
That teacher was annoying.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- ano – あの : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing not close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “kyoushi” to mean ‘that teacher’ in Japanese.
- kyoushi – 教師 (きょうし) : a noun meaning ‘teacher’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “uzakatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “uzai”, this ta form is the best option.
Uzakute: the te form of “uzai”
Below are the definition and meanings of “uzakute”.
- uzakute – うざくて : the te form of “uzai”, which means ‘annoying’, ‘irritating’, or ‘bothering’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “uzakute” consists of the following two parts:
- uzaku – うざく : one conjugation of “uzai”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “uzakute” is literally the te form of “uzai”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “uzakute” is very useful when we want to use “uzai” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “annoying and” in Japanese
kare wa uzakute kimoi – 彼はうざくてきもい (かれはうざくてきもい)
He is annoying and disgusting.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- kimoi – きもい : an i-adjective meaning ‘disgusting’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “uzakute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kimoi”. When we want to use “uzai” in front of another adjective like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Uzakereba: the ba form of “uzai”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “uzakereba”.
- uzakereba – うざければ : the ba form of “uzai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘annoying’, ‘irritating’, or ‘bothering’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “uzakereba” consists of the following two parts:
- uzakere – うざけれ : one conjugation of “uzai”. 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 “uzakereba” is literally the ba form of “uzai”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “uzakereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘annoying’, ‘irritating’, or ‘bothering’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “if annoying” in Japanese
kare ga uzakereba, mushi shi te kudasai – 彼がうざければ、無視してください (かれがうざければ、むししてください)
If he is annoying, please ignore him.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- 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 “kare” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
- mushi shi – 無視し (むしし) : one conjugation of the verb, “mushi suru”, which means ‘to ignore’ in Japanese. In this example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : the same as used in “uzakute”. In this example, this is used after “mushi shi” to make its te form. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
- 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 Japanese. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “mushi shi te” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “uzakereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kare ga uzakereba”, which means ‘if he is annoying’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘annoying’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “uzai” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- uzai – うざい : an i-adjective meaning ‘annoying’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘irritating’ or ‘bothering’. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
- uzakunai – うざくない : the nai form of “uzai”, which means ‘not annoying’, ‘not irritating’, or ‘not bothering’ in Japanese.
- uzakatta – うざかった : the ta form of “uzai”, which means ‘was annoying’, ‘was irritating’, ‘was bothering’, or such in Japanese.
- uzakute – うざくて : the te form of “uzai”, which means ‘annoying’, ‘irritating’, or ‘bothering’ in Japanese. When we want to use “uzai” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- uzakereba – うざければ : the ba form of “uzai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘annoying’, ‘irritating’, or ‘bothering’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
