What does “yama” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “yama” to mean ‘mountain’ in Japanese. Very simple, I think. In this blog post, however, I will explain the definition and meanings of this word. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “yama” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “yama”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “yama”.
- yama – 山 (やま) : a noun meaning ‘mountain’, ‘hill’, ‘peak’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural. This can also work as a suffix to add the meaning of ‘Mt.’ in Japanese.
Japanese people use this noun to refer to a mountain, hill, peak, or such. In addition, they also often use it as a metaphor for a climax, highlight, critical situation, or such: not a physically high area, but a highly important part. In my opinion, its usage as a metaphor is more important to better understand real Japanese conversations.
The kanji expression of “yama” originally came from a shape of a mountain. It has the peak at the center, the two high points on the both sides, and the foot. It’s worth knowing, I think.
Then, let me explain how to use “yama” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “mountains” in Japanese
watashi wa tokidoki yama ni nobori masu – 私は時々山に登ります (わたしはときどきやまにのぼります)
I sometimes climb mountains.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say which an action is directed to. In the example, this is used after “yama” to say which the action, “noboru”, is directed to.
- noboru – 登る (のぼる) : a verb meaning ‘to climb’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “yama”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “yama ni noboru”, which means ‘to climb a mountain/mountains’ in Japanese. When we want to say “mountain” or “mountains” in Japanese, this noun is a very good choice.
Example #2: how to use “yama” as a metaphor
watashi no chichi wa kon’ya ga yama desu – 私の父は今夜が山です (わたしのちちはこんやがやまです)
My father is in a critical situation tonight.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- 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.
- chichi – 父 (ちち) : a noun meaning ‘father’ in Japanese.
- kon’ya – 今夜 (こんや) : a noun meaning ‘tonight’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb. In the example, this works as a noun.
- 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 “kon’ya” to make the subject word 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 “yama” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “yama”. In this example, it works as a metaphor for a critical situation. Japanese people often use “yama” like this, so it’s worth knowing.
The literal meaning of the Japanese sentence above is more like ‘for my father, tonight is a critical situation’. It has been translated as ‘my father is in a critical situation tonight’, though.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “yama” and its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- yama – 山 (やま) : a noun meaning ‘mountain’, ‘hill’, ‘peak’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. This can also work as a suffix to add the meaning of ‘Mt.’ in Japanese. Native speakers often use this as a metaphor for a climax, highlight, critical situation, or such: not a physically high area, but a highly important part.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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