What does “fuyu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “fuyu” to mean ‘winter’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word together with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “fuyu” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “fuyu”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “fuyu”.
- fuyu – 冬 (ふゆ) : a noun meaning ‘winter’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, this is a noun. In Japanese, however, many time-related nouns can also work as adverbs. “Fuyu” is one of them. So, we can use it almost anywhere in a sentence to say “winter” or “in winter” in Japanese. This fact would sound a bit weird to Japanese learners, but is not unique to the Japanese language. In English, for example, “tomorrow” can work as both a noun and an adverb. So, Japanese learners, especially those who are familiar with English, can easily understand this usage, I think.
The definition and meaning of “fuyu” are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “winter” in Japanese
kotoshi no fuyu boku wa tokyo ni iku – 今年の冬僕は東京に行く (ことしのふゆぼくはとうきょうにいく)
This winter I will go to Tokyo.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kotoshi – 今年 (ことし) : a noun meaning ‘this year’ 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 “kotoshi” and “fuyu”. The formed phrase literally means “this year’s winter” in Japanese. It has been translated as just ‘this winter’, though.
- 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.
- tokyo – 東京 (とうきょう) : a noun meaning ‘Tokyo’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “tokyo” to say where the speaker will go this winter.
- iku – 行く (いく) : a verb meaning ‘to go’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “fuyu”. In this example, it works as a part of the adverb phrase, “kotoshi no fuyu”, which means ‘this winter’ in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “fuyu”
watashi wa fuyu ga totemo suki desu – 私は冬がとても好きです (わたしはふゆがとてもすきです)
I love winter so much.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- 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 “fuyu” to make the object in the sentence.
- totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of “suki” to emphasize its meaning.
- suki – 好き (すき) : the stem part 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 Japanese. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to love’.
- 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 “suki” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “fuyu”. In this example, it works as a noun to mean ‘winter’ in Japanese. When we want to mean ‘winter’ in Japanese, this noun is always a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “fuyu”. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- fuyu – 冬 (ふゆ) : a noun meaning ‘winter’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. When we want to mean ‘winter’ in Japanese, this noun is always a very good option.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
