How to say “winter” in Japanese
Japanese people usually say “fuyu”. It is the Japanese word for ‘winter’. In this blog post, I will explain it with an example sentence. And also, I will explain its related expressions. Let’s get started!Contents
- Definition and meaning of “fuyu”
- Example: how to say “winter” in Japanese
- Early winter in Japanese: shotou
- Midwinter in Japanese: mafuyu
- Late winter in Japanese: bantou
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “fuyu”
First of all, let me start with the definition and meaning of “fuyu”.- fuyu – 冬 (ふゆ) : a noun meaning ‘winter’ in Japanese.
The meaning of “fuyu” is very simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this word through the example sentence below.
Example: how to say “winter” in Japanese
kotoshi no fuyu wa kyoto ni iki masu – 今年の冬は京都に行きます (ことしのふゆはきょうとにいきます)
This winter, I will go to Kyoto.
This winter, I will go to Kyoto.
- kotoshi – 今年 (ことし) : a noun meaning ‘this year’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used to limit the meaning of its following word with the meaning of its preceding word based on relations like possessing and belonging. In this example, it is used to limit the meaning of its following word, “fuyu”, with the meaning of its preceding word, “kotoshi”. The formed phrase, “kotoshi no fuyu”, can literally be translated into English as “the winter of this year”. It has been translated as “this winter”, though.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it works as a topic marker after the noun phrase, “kotoshi no fuyu”, to put a focus on ‘this winter’.
- kyoto – 京都 (きょうと) : one of the most famous Japanese cities. It is a noun.
- ni – に : a case particle put after a noun to indicate a particular place to which someone or something goes. In the example, it is put after the noun, “Kyoto”, to indicate the particular place to which “watashi” will go.
- iki – 行き (いき) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku”, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb put after a verb to make it polite. Probably it is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “iki”, to make it sound polite.
In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain some expressions related to “fuyu”.
Early winter in Japanese: shotou
Below are the definition and meaning of “shotou”.- shotou – 初冬 (しょとう) : a noun meaning ‘early winter’ in Japanese.
- 初 : a kanji character often used like a prefix to add the meaning of “first”, “beginning”, or “early” to its following word.
- 冬 : a kanji character meaning ‘winter’ in Japanese.
Midwinter in Japanese: mafuyu
Below are the definition and meaning of “mafuyu”.- mafuyu – 真冬 (まふゆ) : a noun meaning ‘midwinter’ in Japanese.
- 真 : a kanji character often used like a prefix to add the meaning of ‘truly’, ‘middle’, ‘peak’, or such to its following word. This kanji character can also be found in other words like “mayonaka“.
- 冬 : the same as explained above.
Late winter in Japanese: bantou
Below are the definition and meaning of “bantou”.- bantou – 晩冬 (ばんとう) : a noun meaning ‘late winter’ in Japanese.
- 晩 : a kanji character often used like a prefix to add the meaning of ‘late’ to its following word.
- 冬 : the same as explained above.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the word, “fuyu”, with the example sentence. And also, I’ve explained its related expressions. Let me summarize them as follows.- fuyu – 冬 (ふゆ) : a noun meaning ‘winter’ in Japanese. It can also be used like an adverb and inserted almost anywhere in a sentence to say “winter”.
- kotoshi no fuyu – 今年の冬 (ことしのふゆ) : a widely-used Japanese expression meaning ‘this winter’. It literally means ‘the winter of this year’.
- shotou – 初冬 (しょとう) : a noun meaning ‘early winter’ in Japanese.
- mafuyu – 真冬 (まふゆ) : a noun meaning ‘midwinter’ in Japanese.
- bantou – 晩冬 (ばんとう) : a noun meaning ‘late winter’ in Japanese.
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