How to say “yesterday” in Japanese
Normally, native speakers say “kinou” to mean ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. In formal situations, they would say “sakujitsu” instead. In this blog post, I will explain these two words in detail based on their kanji expressions. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. Let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “kinou”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “kinou”.
- kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, this is a noun. In reality, however, it can also be used as an adverb and inserted almost anywhere in a sentence. In Japanese, many time-related nouns can also work as adverbs. Perhaps, this trait of time-related nouns sounds a bit weird to Japanese learners. However, a similar thing can be said to other languages. In fact, “yesterday” can work as both a noun and an adverb. So, Japanese learners, especially those who are familiar with English, can easily understand this point, I think.
The meaning of “kinou” is simple and clear. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
“Kinou” in kanji
The kanji expression of “kinou” consists of the following two characters:
- 昨 : a kanji character often used as a prefix to add the meaning of ‘last’ to its following word.
- 日 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘day’. This kanji can also be found in other words like “kyou“, “ashita“, and “tanjoubi“.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “kinou” literally means ‘the last day’. So, what the kanji characters express is completely in line with the meaning.
When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “kinou” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “kinou” through the example sentence below.
Example #1: “what did you do yesterday?” in Japanese
kinou wa nani wo shi mashi ta ka – 昨日は何をしましたか (きのうはなにをしましたか)
What did you do yesterday?
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after “kinou” to provide a topic.
- nani – 何 (なに) : an indefinite pronoun meaning ‘what’ in Japanese. This is often used to make Japanese ‘what’ questions.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “nani” to make the object in the sentence. This is written as “wo”, but in reality pronounced “o”.
- shi – し : one conjugation of the verb, “suru“, which means ‘to do’ or ‘to perform’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “masu”, which is often used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, it is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after the conjugated verb, “shi”, to make it sound polite.
- 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. In the example, this is used after the verb phrase, “shi mashi”, to make its past tense, “shi mashi ta”.
- ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make Japanese questions. Normally, this is used with the pitch raised. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to make the question.
This is a typical usage of “kinou”. In the example, it works as a noun to mean ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. In many cases, this is the best word to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
However, Japanese native speakers would say “sakujitsu” in formal situations. Next, then, let me explain it in detail.
Definition and meaning of “sakujitsu”
Below are the definition and meaning of “sakujitsu”.
- sakujitsu – 昨日 (さくじつ) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’.
The definition and meaning of “sakujitsu” are completely the same as those of “kinou”. In addition, the kanji expressions are exactly the same. Yet, these two words are not completely the same. “Sakujitsu” is widely considered more polite than “kinou”. Native speakers, therefore, tend to use the pronunciation, “sakujitsu”, in formal situations.
Then, let me explain how to use “sakujitsu” through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “yesterday” politely in Japanese
sakujitsu wa ikaga deshi ta ka – 昨日は如何でしたか (さくじつはいかがでしたか)
How was your day yesterday?
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- ikaga – 如何 (いかが) : an adverb meaning ‘how’ in Japanese. This is the polite expression of “dou” which is often used to make Japanese ‘how’ questions.
- deshi – でし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “desu”, which is used after a noun, adjective, or adverb to make it polite. Probably, it is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “ikaga” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “sakujitsu”. In the example, it works as a noun to say ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. As it sounds more polite than “kinou”, this example sentence gives us a polite impression.
It is quite difficult to differentiate “sakujitsu” from “kinou” in reading because both have exactly the same kanji expression. Fortunately, their meanings as well are the same. So, we don’t have to read them correctly.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “kinou” and “sakujitsu” in detail based on their kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also be used as an adverb and inserted almost anywhere in a sentence. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘the last day’. This kanji concept is in line with the meaning.
- sakujitsu – 昨日 (さくじつ) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’. This has exactly the same kanji expression as “kinou”, but is widely considered more polite.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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