What is “ze” in Japanese?
There are some homophones in Japanese, but native speakers use “ze” in a sentence normally to emphasize its meaning, especially its last part. 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 its definition, meaning, and usages with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “ze” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “ze”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “ze”.
- ze – ぜ : a sentence-ending particle used to make an emphasized expression. This sometimes follows a desire-formed or volitional-formed verb to express a strong desire. Normally, boys and men use this. It is quite hard to translate this particle into English, but it is often reflected as a part of an imperative expression or as an exclamation mark.
As the definition suggests, native speakers – normally, boys and men – use this particle at the end of a sentence to make an emphasized expression. Perhaps, some Japanese learners saw or heard some male characters in Japanese manga and anime using this particle in conversations. Their ways of using would be very helpful to understand the actual usage of this particle, I think.
Then, let me explain how to use “ze” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to make an emphasized expression with “ze”
raishuu tokyo ni iku ze – 来週東京に行くぜ (らいしゅうとうきょうにいくぜ)
Next week I’m going to Tokyo!
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- raishuu – 来週 (らいしゅう) : a noun meaning ‘next week’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb at the beginning of the sentence to say “next week” in Japanese.
- tokyo – 東京 (とうきょう) : a noun meaning ‘Tokyo’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “tokyo” to say where the speaker is going next week.
- iku – 行く (いく) : a verb meaning ‘to go’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “ze”. In this example, it works at the end of the sentence to make the emphasized expression. It has been reflected as the exclamation mark in the English sentence. A verb before this particle should be in its plain form: we don’t have to conjugate it. So, all we have to do to make an emphasized expression is just add “ze” at the end of the sentence which ends with a non-conjugated verb.
Example #2: another usage of “ze”
kyoto mo iko u ze – 京都も行こうぜ (きょうともいこうぜ)
Let’s go to Kyoto, too!
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kyoto – 京都 (きょうと) : a noun meaning ‘Kyoto’ in Japanese.
- mo – も : a binding particle working to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘also’, ‘as well’, or ‘too’. In the example, this works after “kyoto” to make the object word in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
- iko – 行こ (いこ) : 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.
- u – う : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form. In the example, this is used after “iko” to make its volitional form, “iko u”, which has been translated as “let’s go”.
This is another typical usage of “ze”. In this example, it works after the volitional-formed verb, “iko u”, to make the stressed suggestion. Sometimes, this particle follows a desire-formed or volitional-formed verb to emphasize its meaning like this. It’s worth knowing.
Summary: “ze” in Japanese
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “ze” in detail. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- ze – ぜ : a sentence-ending particle used to make an emphasized expression. This sometimes follows a desire-formed or volitional-formed verb to express a strong desire. Normally, boys and men use this. It is quite hard to translate this particle into English, but it is often reflected as a part of an imperative expression or as an exclamation mark.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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