Yamato Nadeshiko is the Japanese word for ‘traditional Japanese woman’

What does “yamato nadeshiko” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “yamato nadeshiko” to mean ‘traditional Japanese woman’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, 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 “yamato nadeshiko” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “yamato nadeshiko”
• What does “yamato nadeshiko” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “traditional Japanese women” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “yamato nadeshiko”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “yamato nadeshiko”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “yamato nadeshiko”.

• yamato nadeshiko – 大和撫子 (やまとなでしこ) : a noun meaning ‘traditional Japanese woman’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Unfortunately, English does not have a perfect translation for this noun. In reality, this noun is often translated into English as ‘ideal Japanese woman’ or such. This would sound a bit weird to Japanese learners, I think. Japanese women are Japanese women regardless of their personalities, attitudes, and appearances. However, Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to a woman or women being traditionally Japanese.

The definition and meaning are not that difficult. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.

What does “yamato nadeshiko” literally mean in Japanese?

“Yamato nadeshiko” consists of the following two components:

• yamato – 大和 (やまと) : another name of Japan. This is widely considered older and more traditional.
• nadeshiko – 撫子 (なでしこ) : a noun meaning ‘dianthus’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.

From these two components, we can understand that “yamato nadeshiko” literally means ‘Japanese dianthus’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meaning. In Japan, however, dianthus are often used as a metaphor for traditional women. So, we can understand that the formed noun refers to traditional Japanese women in Japanese.

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 “yamato nadeshiko” through the detailed check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “yamato nadeshiko” together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “traditional Japanese women” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its plural form, “kanojo tachi”, which means ‘they’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo tachi” 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 “yamato nadeshiko” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “yamato nadeshiko”. In the example, it works as the complement in the sentence.

Example #2: another usage of “yamato nadeshiko”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kami – 髪 (かみ) : a noun meaning ‘hair’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kami” to make the object in the clause.
• some – 染め (そめ) : one conjugation of the verb, “someru”, which means ‘to dye’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. In the example, this is used after “some” 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”.
• 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 “yamato nadeshiko”. When we want to refer to traditional Japanese women in Japanese, this noun is always a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “yamato nadeshiko” 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.

• yamato nadeshiko – 大和撫子 (やまとなでしこ) : a noun meaning ‘traditional Japanese woman’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. This noun literally means ‘Japanese dianthus’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meaning. In Japan, however, dianthus are often used as a metaphor for traditional women. So, we can understand that the formed noun refers to traditional Japanese women in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.