Zetsubou is the Japanese word for ‘despair’, explained

What does “zetsubou” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “zetsubou” to mean ‘despair’ 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 kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “zetsubou” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “zetsubou”
• Zetsubou in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “despair” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “zetsubou”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “zetsubou”

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

• zetsubou – 絶望 (ぜつぼう) : a noun meaning ‘despair’ in Japanese.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to the state of being hopeless or the feeling of having no hope in Japanese. So, its usage is very similar to that of the English noun, “despair”, I think.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Zetsubou in kanji

The kanji expression of “zetsubou” consists of the following two kanji characters:

• 絶 : a kanji character used to deny the existence of things. This kanji character can also be found in other words like “zettai“.
• 望 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘hope’.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “zetsubou” literally means ‘no hope’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation 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 “zetsubou” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “zetsubou” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “despair” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “zetsubou” to make the object in the sentence.
• kanji – 感じ (かんじ) : one conjugation of the verb, “kanjiru”, which means ‘to feel’ 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 “kanji” to make its te form, “kanji te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
• iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by a preceding verb. In the example, this is used after the te-formed verb, “kanji te”, to express the continuity of its action, ‘to feel’.

This is a typical usage of “zetsubou”. In this example, it works as a part of the widely-used expression, “zetsubou wo kanji te iru”, which means ‘to be feeling despair’ in Japanese. When we want to refer to the feeling of having no hope in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.

Example #2: another usage of “zetsubou”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kibou – 希望 (きぼう) : a noun meaning ‘hope’ in Japanese.
• to – と : a case particle used to join two nouns or noun equivalent words to make a parallel expression. This is often translated into English as “and”. In the example, this is used to join “kibou” and “zetsubou” to make the parallel expression which means ‘hope and despair’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns or noun equivalent words. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “kibou to zetsubou” and “aida”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the gap between hope and despair’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to those of the English prepositions like “of” and the like.
• aida – 間 (あいだ) : a noun meaning ‘gap’, ‘distance’, or ‘space’ in Japanese.
• de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after the noun phrase, “kibou to zetsubou no aida”, to say where the speakers live.
• ikiru – 生きる (いきる) : a verb meaning ‘to live’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “zetsubou”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “kibou to zetsubou”, which means ‘hope and despair’ in Japanese.

The Japanese sentence literally means ‘we live in the gap between hope and despair’ in Japanese, but has been translated into English as just ‘we live between hope and despair’.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “zetsubou” 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.

• zetsubou – 絶望 (ぜつぼう) : a noun meaning ‘despair’ in Japanese. Native speakers use this to refer to the state of being hopeless or the feeling of having no hope in Japanese. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to that of the English noun, “despair”, I think. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘no hope’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is completely in line with the meaning.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.