What does “zannen” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “zannen” to mean ‘that’s too bad’, ‘that’s pity’, or such in Japanese. So, they use it to express their feelings of unhappiness, sadness, or dissatisfaction. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “zannen” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of zannen
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “zannen”
- zannen – 残念 (ざんねん) : a noun meaning ‘regret’, ‘shame’, ‘disappointment’ or ‘bad lack’ in Japanese.
From the grammatical point of view, this is a noun. Native speakers, however, often use this as an adjective to mean ‘regrettable’, ‘disappointing’, or ‘deplorable’. In Japanese, the border between nouns and some adjectives called na-adjectives is a bit ambiguous. Basically, every na-adjective consists of one noun and one conjugative suffix. And, native speakers often omit the suffix especially in speaking. Japanese nouns, therefore, can work as shortened forms of na-adjectives in many cases. For this reason, “zannen”, which is grammatically a noun, can also work as an adjective.
Furthermore, “zannen” can also work as an individual phrase to mean ‘that’s too bad’, ‘that’s pity’, ‘that’s a shame’, or such in Japanese conversations. It’s worth knowing, I think.
In summary, the definitions and meanings of “zannen” can be updated as follows:
- zannen – 残念 (ざんねん) :
- a noun meaning ‘regret’, ‘shame’, ‘disappointment’ or ‘bad lack’ in Japanese.
- an adjective meaning ‘regrettable’, ‘disappointing’ or ‘deplorable’ in Japanese.
- a phrase meaning ‘that’s too bad’, ‘that’s pity’, or ‘that’s a shame’ in Japanese.
To understand “zannen” more clearly, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Zannen in kanji
The kanji expression of “zannen” consists of the following two characters:
- 残 : a kanji character widely used to express something remained.
- 念 : a kanji character widely used to mean a thought, sense, idea, or notion in Japanese.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “zannen” literally means a ‘remained thought’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. In Japanese, a thought which cannot depart from something is called “regret”.
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 “zannen” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “zannen” through the examples below.
Example #1: how to say “it’s too bad” in Japanese
tenki ga waruku te zannen desu ne – 天気が悪くて残念ですね (てんきがわるくてざんねんですね)
It’s too bad that the weather is bad, isn’t it?
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- tenki – 天気 (てんき) : a noun meaning ‘weather’ 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 “tenki” to make the subject in the first part of the sentence.
- waruku – 悪く (わるく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “warui“, which means ‘bad’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “waruku” to make its te form, “waruku te”. Te-formed words have some important roles in Japanese. One of them is make a cause-and-effect structure in a sentence. The first part of the example sentence – before “te” – is the reason the speaker says “zannen” in the second part.
- 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 “zannen” to make it sound polite.
- ne – ね : a sentence-ending particle used to ask for agreement in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to ask for agreement. It has been reflected as “isn’t it” in the English sentence.
This is a typical usage of “zannen”. In this example, it works more like a phrase to mean “it’s too bad” in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “zannen”
kono kekka wa totemo zannen desu – この結果はとても残念です (このけっかはとてもざんねんです)
This result is very regrettable.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “kekka” to say “this result” in Japanese.
- kekka – 結果 (けっか) : a noun meaning ‘result’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kono kekka” to make the subject in the sentence.
- totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this is used before “zannen” to emphasize its meaning.
This is another typical usage of “zannen”. In this example, it works more like an adjective to mean ‘regrettable’ in Japanese.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “zannen” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- zannen – 残念 (ざんねん) :
- a noun meaning ‘regret’, ‘shame’, ‘disappointment’ or ‘bad lack’ in Japanese.
- an adjective meaning ‘regrettable’, ‘disappointing’ or ‘deplorable’ in Japanese.
- a phrase meaning ‘that’s too bad’, ‘that’s pity’, or ‘that’s a shame’ in Japanese.
These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘remained thought’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. In Japanese, a thought which cannot depart from something is called “regret”.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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