When it comes to speaking in Japanese and expressing yourself, it really helps to know most of the common adverbs. And one of those words that you will use pretty much every day is the Japanese word for “more.”
There’s just one little problem: Is it もっと (motto) or is it もう (mou)? How do you say “more” in Japanese?
Well the typical answer to Japanese language questions also applies to this situation. And that answer is, “it just depends.”
Haha, perhaps that’s not what you wanted to hear, so let’s get into it in more detail so that you can understand when to use one over the other.
When to use もっと (motto) for “more”
When you simply look up the word for “more” in Japanese, 9/10 times you are going to see the word もっと pop up as the answer.
It can be used when talking about a quantity of some kind, such as:
- 写真もっと撮ればよかったな。
shashin motto toreba yokatta na.
I wish I’d taken more pictures.
Or it can be used with adjectives to increase the degree to which they apply, like:
- あなたはもっと理性的であるべきだ。
anata wa motto risei teki de aru beki da.
You should be more reasonable.
And of course it works when used with other adverbs as well. A common request you might want to memorize for when you are talking with native Japanese people is:
- もっとゆっくり話してください。
motto yukkuri hanashite kudasai.
Please speak more slowly.
Sometimes you will see もっと combined with another adverb in such a way that would be weird in English with just a direct translation. Here’s what I mean by that:
- もっと早く
motto hayaku
More early/soon.
When you encounter these types of situations, it’s better to think of もっと as the “er” part of our English words.
So change the translation of もっと早く from “more early” to just “earlier.”
Note that 早く can also mean “soon” in English, so もっと早く could mean “sooner” in certain contexts.
A closely related word to もっと is the Japanese word 最も (motto mo) which can also be written in just hiragana as もっとも.
The meaning of 最も is actually “most” and when it gets combined with adjectives in Japanese, it often gets translated as the “est” part of English words. Let me illustrate:
- あれは最も長い橋だよ。
are wa motto mo nagai hashi da yo.
That is the longest bridge!
The kanji 最 gets combined with a lot of words in Japanese to bring that meaning of an extreme, whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing. Actually, I should have said “whether it’s the best thing or the worse thing!”
You can learn more about it by reading this post.
Otherwise, it’s time to get to the other Japanese word for “more”
When to use もう (mou) for “more”
The もう (mou) is actually the word that’s used to mean “already” or “yet” in Japanese. And you will most likely see it used that way more times that not.
But there are occasions where that translation doesn’t quite work.
I’m sure you’ve encountered this next useful phrase when asking someone to repeat what they’ve said:
- もう一度、言ってください。
mou ichi do, itte kudasai.
Please say that one more time.
In these cases, c would be the word that translates as “more” or “again.”
I’ve only really seen もう used within a few phrases to mean “more” which are:
- もう一度 = One more time
- もうひとつ = One more (thing)
- もう少し = A little more
- もう一回 = Once more (occurrence)
A few of them are basically the same thing, but you could say that there are slight differences between them. For example, 度 is the counter used for “time” as in “one time, two times, three times, etc.” and ひとつ is the generic counter for one thing of any kind.
Still, you’ll hear and read もう一度 a lot, so it’s good to know that the もう part of it means “more; again” and not the normal usage of it as “already; yet”
But anyway, it’s good to know both of these words for “more” in Japanese since they are super common. Where do they rank within the top 1,000 used words in Japanese?
- もっと (motto) = #299
- もう (mou) = #52
I looked up the information on them by checking out the Japanese frequency dictionary that I’ve got. If you’re not sure what that is, it’s certainly worth reading up about.
5/1/18 UPDATE: Kaitlyn graciously provided an answer as to when you use もう or もっと for “more” in Japanese:
Thanks again Kaitlyn!
…
Now I wanna hear from you!
Did you learn anything new from this article? Did I leave anything out? Drop me a comment and let me know what you think!
In this post I’d like to go over a few different ways to express the concept of “more” in Japanese, essentially when something is going to be a greater degree or amount than it was previously. Keep in mind that in English sometimes the concept of “more” is implied (even though the word itself isn’t used), like when saying “colder”.
To begin with, the word “motto” (もっと) is the simplest, most basic way to say “more”. Use “motto” if you aren’t sure which word to use.
- 日本語をもっと勉強したいです。 (nihonngo wo motto benkyou shitai desu)
- I want to study Japanese more.
“Motto” can be used by itself, for example:
- もっともっと! (motto motto!)
- More, more!
Now, when you are eating and want more food, you might be tempted to say:
- もっとください (motto kudasai)
- More please.
However, generally you should use the word “okawari” (おかわり), which is a specific term that means a second (or third) helping of food:
- おかわりください (okawari kudasai)
- More (food) please.
The word “mou” (もう) has a bunch of meanings, including “now” or “already”. It can also be used to express “more” by preceeding a counter that means “one” of something:
- 人がもう一人いる (hito ga mou hitori iru)
- One more person is present.
- もうひとつください。 (mou hitotsu kudasai)
- One more (thing) please.
Another word you can use to mean “more” is “yori” (より):
- 明日はより寒くなるらしいです。 (ashita wa yori samuku naru rashii desu)
- It seems that tomorrow it will get colder.
However, while I have seen this usage, I have also been told that it isn’t the most proper grammar, and that generally “yori” should be preceded by a word being contrasted against, as in:
- 明日は今日より寒くなるらしいです。 (ashita wa kyou yori samuku naru rashii desu)
- It seems that tomorrow it will get colder than today.
Another related expression is “nani yori mo” (何よりも) which means “more than anything else” and “dare yori mo” (誰よりも) which means “more than anyone else”
Another word you can use is ”yokei” (余計). However, as this has the nuance of “too much” or “unnecessary”, it is generally used for negative situations. For example,
- 休まないと体調が余計悪くなるよ (yasumanai to taichou ga yokei waruku naru yo)
- If you don’t rest your condition (health) will get even worse.
Another word that can express “more” (or sometimes “anymore”) is “ijou” (以上). This word can mean “the above (mentioned)” or even “the end”, but it can be used to express “more”, as in these examples:
- 今まで以上に頑張りたいと思います. (ima made ijou ni ganbaritai to omoimasu)
- I’d like to try even harder than I have ever before.
- これ以上待てない (kore ijou matenai)
- I can’t wait anymore.
Yet another word that can mean “more” is “saranaru” (更なる). This has a bit of a formal tone and generally must come before a noun. It can often be translated as “further”.
- 更なる発展を期待しています。(saranaru hatten wo kitei shite imasu)
- I’m expecting further developments.
A related word is “sara ni” (さらに) which also means “more”. It has more a formal feel to it, and you can see it often in advertisements. For example,
- さらに美味しくなりました! (sara ni oishiku narimashita!)
- Now even tastier! (Literally: “It has become tastier”)
If you didn’t have enough words to mean “more”, I’ll tell you one more. It’s “issou” (いっそう or 一層). This word is most commonly used in literature (novels, poems, etc.).
- 一層頑張ります (issou ganbarimasu)
- I’ll try even more.
You can also combine より and 一層 to get “より一層”, which basically has the same meaning. (See this page for more detail about this combination)
Sometimes, you don’t use a separate word to express the concept of “more” in Japanese.
For example, any sentence that uses the verb “naru” (なる, “to become”) with an adverb before it has an implicit sense of “more”. There is no need for words like “motto” or “yori”.
- 明日は寒くなるらしいです。 (ashita wa samuku naru rashii desu)
- It seems that tomorrow it will get colder.
Also, the expression “no hou ga~” (のほうが〜) is frequently used to compare two or more things.
- 君のほうが好きだよ (kimi no hou ga suki da yo).
- I like you more.
Finally, I’d like to end this post by saying you’ll never run out of things to study in Japanese. No matter how much you’ve studied, there is always more to study.
So I guess you should say motto should be your motto. (Sorry, I couldn’t help avoiding this bad pun (: )
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- Words
- Sentences
Definition of more
- (adv) firmly; fast; much; more
- (adv, int) already; anymore
- soon; shortly
- more; further; other; again
- (int, adv) interjection used to strengthen expression of an emotion (often exasperation)
- (adv) (some) more; even more; longer; further
- (adv, prt) from; out of; since; at
- than
- other than; except; but
- more
- (adv-to, adv) more; much more; still more; all the more
- (n) step; rung; level; rank
- paragraph; passage
- Japanese verb group
- first rank (in martial arts, etc.)
- (n, adj-no) behind; rear
- after; later
- after one’s death
- remainder; the rest
- descendant; successor; heir
- past; previous
- (n-adv) more (e.g. five more minutes)
-
(n-adv, n) now; the present time; just now; soon; immediately; (one) more
その法案は今会期中に成立する見通しである。
The bill is expected to be enacted during the present session.
- (adv, conj) furthermore; still; yet; more; still more; in addition; greater; further
- (n, n-suf) leakage
- omission; oversight
- (pn) I; me
- (adj-na) better; less objectionable; preferable
-
(n-suf) more; increase; extra
非会員は50ドル増しとなります。
Non-members pay an additional 50 dollars. - (n) increase; growth
- (prt) also; too; words of similar weight
- about (emphasizing an upper limit); as much as; even
- (adv) more; further; other; again
Words related to more
Sentences containing more
You are here: Home/ List/ 40 Japanese Words Meaning “Many/Much” (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, …)
Do you know how to say “many” in Japanese? In fact, there are more than 40 words and phrases to say “many” in Japanese, just like in English. This article presents a comprehensive list of those (from basic to advanced) expressions with brief explanations and example sentences provided for each entry! Note that “many” and “much” are basically the same word in Japanese since Japanese nouns do not have either countable or uncountable forms.
(If you’re fond of exploring Japanese synonyms, check my tool: Japanese Synonym Finder)
Adjectives (na-adj and i-adj)
多い (おおい, ooi)
多い is one of the most common words to say “many/much” in Japanese. When it modifies a noun, it’s usually used as “多くの” (although it looks like a standard い-adjective).
Examples
東京に住んでいる人は多い。/多くの人が東京に住んでいる。
There are many people who live in Tokyo./ A lot of people live in Tokyo.
数多くの (かずおおくの, kazuooku no)
数多くの is a synonym of 多くの and means “a great number of ~”. It sounds slightly larger than 多くの, and is usually used in writing.
Examples
数多くの人が東京に住んでいる
A great number of people live in Tokyo.
数々の (かずかずの, kazukazu no)
数々の is a synonym of 数多くの, and means “numerous” and “various”.
Examples
彼は数々の賞を獲得した
He has achieved numerous (and various) awards
沢山 (たくさん, takusan)
沢山 is also a very common word meaning “a great number/amount of” and sounds more than “多い” (since it contains the kanji 山 meaning “mountain”, you may interpret it as “mountains of ~ “). When it modifies a noun, it’s usually used as “沢山の” or just “沢山” rather than “沢山な”. It can also be used as an adverb and modify a verb. It is often written in hiragana too as in example sentences below.
Examples
たくさんの人がいる/たくさん人がいる/人が沢山いる
There are many people.
沢山勉強した
I studied a lot.
ぎょうさん (gyousan)
It is a very casual way of saying “沢山”, particularly used in the Kansai region. It is usually used without any particle.
Examples
ぎょうさん人がおる/人がぎょうさんおる
There are many people. (*おる = the Kansai dialect term for いる )
ぎょうさん勉強した
I studied a lot.
盛り沢山 (もりだくさん, mori dakusan)
盛り沢山 is a common hyperbole meaning “various and copious”, and usually used as “something が盛り沢山” to hype new events, products, etc.
この新しいスマホには新しい機能が盛り沢山!
This new smartphone has a variety of new functions!
いっぱい (ippai)
いっぱい is also a very common word to describe the large amount/number of something, and is usually used as “いっぱい + いる/ある”. It can sound casual and a little childish compared to 沢山 but not always. When used as “いっぱい(だ)” or “いっぱい + になる”, it usually means “be/become full”. In kanji, it can also be written as “一杯”, but since 一杯 can also mean “one cup/glass of ~”, some people avoid using it for clarity.
Examples
お宝がいっぱいある
There are a great number of treasures.
お腹がいっぱいだ
My stomach is full
大量 (たいりょう, tairyou)
大量 means “an enormous amount/number of ~”. It is usually used to describe the large amount/number of things or animals, but not humans. The common usage is “大量の + noun” or “something が大量にある”
Examples
この研究を行うには、大量のデータが必要だ
It requires an enormous amount of data to conduct this research.
買ったけど読んでいない本が家に大量にある
There are piles of books at home that I bought but haven’t read.
大勢の (おおぜいの, oozei no)
大勢の usually describes a great number of people and is usually used in writing.
Examples
大勢の人がここに集まった
A great number of people gathered here.
豊富な (ほうふな, houfu na)
豊富な means “abundant”, “copious” or “plentiful”. It usually connotes that something is abundant in quantity and variety.
Examples
オーストラリアには豊富な資源がある
There are abundant and various resources in Australia.
あの人は知識が豊富だ
He has copious knowledge.
色々な/色んな
(いろいろな, iroiro na)
色々な means “various” in English and is often used in writing. In casual speech, 色々な is often abbreviated as 色(いろ)んな (iron na).
Examples
東京には色々な/色んな人がいる
There are various people in Tokyo.
人が日本語を勉強する理由は色々だ
The reason why people study Japanese varies/is various.
様々な (さまざまな, samazama na)
様々な is a synonym of “色々な”, and often used in writing.
Examples
東京には様々な人がいる
There are various people in Tokyo.
人が日本語を勉強する理由は様々だ
The reason why people study Japanese varies/is various.
莫大な (ばくだいな, bakudai na)
莫大な means “a vast amount of ~”, and is often used to describe a very large amount of time, money or effort. When used to describe the number of something, 莫大な数の is often used. It’s rather used in writing but not too formal.
Examples
留学するには莫大な費用がかかる
It costs an enormous amount of money to study abroad.
莫大な数の学生がキャンパスにいる
There are an enormous number of students on campus.
膨大な (ぼうだいな, boudai na)
膨大な is a synonym of 莫大な. 莫大な sounds slightly larger and more boundless than 膨大な. It’s often used in writing.
Examples
留学するには膨大な費用がかかる。
It costs an enormous amount of money to study abroad.
膨大な数の学生がキャンパスにいる。
There are an enormous number of students on campus.
たっぷり (tappuri)
たっぷり means “a sufficient/abundant amount of~”, and is often used to describe a sufficient amount of time/money/food. It is usually used as “たっぷりの” when modifying a noun, otherwise “たっぷり + ある” (e.g. 時間はたっぷりある).
Examples
あの大学にはお金がたっぷりある/あの大学にはたっぷりのお金がある
There is a sufficient amount of money in that university.
まだ時間はたっぷり残っている
Still, there is an abundant amount of time left.
ふさふさ (fusafusa)
ふさふさ means “bushy” or “fluffy” and is usually used to describe a large amount of hair or something hairy. It is often used in comparison to ハゲ (hage), a derogatory word for “a bald person”.
Examples
彼は70歳なのにまだ(髪が)ふさふさだ
Although he’s 70 years old, he still has a lot of hair.
無数の (むすうの, musuu no)
無数の means “countless” and describes something uncountable. It is often used in writing.
空を見上げると、無数の星が見えた
Looking up at the sky, I saw countless stars.
幾(いく)つもの (ikutsumo no)
幾つもの is a synonym of 多くの and sounds larger than 多くの.
Examples
幾つもの苦難を克服した
I have overcome a great number of hardships.
十分/充分 (じゅうぶん, jyuubun)
十分/充分 means “enough”. The kanji 充分 is used when one perceives something is enough, whereas 十分 denotes that there is a large enough number/amount of something. To describe the number/amount of something, it is used as “十分な数/量の” meaning “large enough number/amount of ~”.
Examples
十分/充分な睡眠を取った
I got enough sleep
そこには十分な数の人がいた
A large enough number of people are there.
まだ充分な休みが取れていない
(I feel) I haven’t taken enough rest yet.
十二分 (じゅうにぶん, jyuunibun)
十二分 means “more than 十分”, as 十二 (“twelve”) is larger than 十 (“ten”) —so it is similar to say “120%”. It is used as either ”十二分な” or “十二分の”.
Examples
我々はリスクを減らすために、十二分の/十二分な対策を取った
We took more-than-enough measures to mitigate risk.
大多数の (だいたすうの, daitasuu no)
大多数の means “the majority of ~”, and is used for people. It is often used in writing.
Examples
大多数の人はその意見に賛成した。
The majority of people agreed with the opinion.
大部分の (だいぶぶんの, daibubun no)
大部分の also means “the most (part) of ~”, and is used for things and people.
Examples
大部分のお金が使われた
Most of the money was used.
大抵の (たいていの, taitei no)
大抵の means ‘most ~” and is used for things and people.
Examples
大抵の人はそれを知らない
Most people do not know it.
大抵の場合、それはあまり問題にならない
In most cases, it does not become an issue.
大体の (だいたいの, daitai no)
大体の is a synonym of 大抵の. Although they are mostly interchangeable, 大体の sounds more “rough” in terms of the number, as it also means “about”/”approximately”.
Examples
大体1万円
About 10000 yen
大体の人がその式に出席する
Most people attend the ceremony.
大概の (たいがいの, taigai no)
大概の is a synonym of 大抵の, and it is particularly used to describe the most part of the ordinary things/people.
Examples
大概の事は家で出来る
I can do most of the ordinary things at home.
大概の人はそれに騙された
Most ordinary people were tricked by it.
過多 (かた, kata)
過多の means “too many/much”, and is often put after a noun.
Examples
現代では、多くの人が情報過多によりストレスを感じている
Nowadays, many people feel stressed because there is too much information.
山積み (やまずみ, yamazumi)
It literally means “mountain pile” and figuratively describes piles of soemthing negative (e.g. unsolved problems/assignments). It is often as “something + が山積みだ”.
Examples
解決する課題が山積みだ
There are piles of problems to solve.
Figurative Expressions
山のように (やまのように)
山のように literally means “like a mountain”, and means “mountains/piles of”.
Examples
課題が山のようにある
I have mountains of assignments.
数えきれないほど (かぞえきれないほど)
数えきれないほど literally means “as many/much as one cannot count”, and means “countless”.
Examples
彼は数えきれないほどの記録を持っている
He holds a countless number of records.
星の数ほど (ほしのかずほど)
星の数ほど literally means “as many as stars (in the sky)” and describes something countless.
Examples
東京にはラーメン屋さんが星の数ほど ある
In Tokyo, there are a countless number of ramen restaurants (like the stars in the sky).
目移りするほど (めうつりするほど)
目移りするほど literally means “to the extent that one’s eyes are attracted/distracted to many things (and cannot concentrate on looking at one thing)”.
Examples
目移りするほどの商品が棚に並んでいる
A great number of products are lining the shelves (to the extent that you cannot pick one thing).
掃いて捨てるほど (はいてすてるほど)
掃いて捨てるほど literally means “as much as you sweep and throw away” and figuratively “there is an unduly large number of something/someone” with a negative/ironic tone. It is rather a casual expression often used in a casual conversation.
Examples
家にいらない服が掃いて捨てるほどある
There are tons of unnecessary clothes in my house
今日では、大学を卒業した人は履いて捨ているほどいる。
Nowadays, there are a more-than-enough number of people who graduate from university.
腐るほど (くさるほど)
腐るほど literally means “as if something gets rotten”. This is a casual expression and usually contains a negative/ironical connotation like “sh*tloads of”.
Examples
あの会社の社長はお金を腐るほど持ってるだろう
That company’s president would have sh*tloads of money I suppose.
嫌と言うほど (いやというほど)
嫌と言うほど means “to the extent that one feels fed up with it”.
Examples
これまでに失敗を嫌と言うほど経験してきた
I have experienced failures countless times so far.
あり余るほど (ありあまるほど)
あり余るほど literally means “as if there will be lots of remnants” and figuratively indicates that something is more than enough.
Examples
我々はあり余るほどの証拠が見つかった
We’ve found more-than-enough evidence.
湯水のように (ゆみずのように)
湯水のように literally means “like hot water”. It is often used when one uses something extravagantly (esp. money), like hot water in the shower.
Examples
彼はカジノで湯水のようにお金を使った。
He spent an excessive amount of his money extravagantly (like hot water) in the casino.
雨後の筍のよう (うごのたけのこのよう)
雨後の筍のよう literally means “like bamboo shoots after rain”. Figuratively it means “a plethora of similar things happen one after another”, usually with a negative connotation that there are way too many. See also List of Japanese Words Related to Rain (雨, ame)
Examples
東京ででタピオカの店(みせ)が雨後の筍のように増(ふ)えた
In Tokyo, the number of bubble tea stores has increased like bamboo shoots after rain
枚挙にいとまがない (まいきょにいとまがない)
枚挙にいとまがない literally means “it takes forever to finish counting”. It is similar to “just to name a few” in English, as it is often used after you list a few examples.
Examples
授業、飲み会、就職面接など、コロナの影響でオンライン化したものは枚挙にいとまがない。
Like classes, drinking parties, job interviews, etc., a countless number of things have been moved online because of the coronavirus.
芋を洗うよう (いもをあらうよう)
芋を洗うよう literally means “as if you wash/stir potatoes (in a saucepan)”. It is particularly used to describe a very crowded place, like a night market in a touristy spot or a public swimming pool in summer.
Examples
プールに人が芋を洗うように人が沢山いた
In the swimming pool, there are numerous people (like stirred potatoes in a saucepan).
桁外れ (けたはずれ)
桁外れ means “different numbers of digits” (e.g. 10 vs. 100). It figuratively indicates that something is much larger than the ordinary number/amount, i.e., “extraordinary”.
Examples
彼のパワーは桁外れだ
His power is much larger than ordinary/extraordinary.
Phrases
十中八九 (じゅっちゅうはっく, jyuttyuu hakku)
十中八九 literally means “8/9 out of 10”, and figuratively means “mostly” or “most likely”.
Examples
彼が言う事は十中八九嘘だ
What he says is most likely a lie.
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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Nouns
People
- にんげん、人間 – human (ningen)
- じんるい、人類 – humanity (jinrui)
- ひと、人 – person (hito)
- おとこ、男 – male (otoko)
- おとこのひと、男の人 – man (otokonohito)
- おとこのこ、男の子 – boy (otokonoko)
- おんな、女 – female (onna)
- おんなのひと、女の人 – woman (onnanohito)
- おんなのこ、女の子 – girl (onnanoko)
- あかちゃん、赤ちゃん – baby (akachan)
- わかもの、若者 – youth, young person (wakamono)
- わたし、私 – I, myself (watashi)
- わたくし、私 – I, myself (watakushi [most formal])
- ぼく、僕 – I, myself (boku, mainly used by males)
- おれ、俺 – I, myself (ore, mainly used by males [informal])
- あたし、私 – I, myself (atashi, mainly used by females [softer sounding])
- しょうじょ、少女 – girl (shoujo)
- しょうねん、少年 – boy (shounen)
Occupations
- いしゃ、医者 – doctor (isha)
- かんごし、看護師 – nurse (kangoshi)
- かんごふ、看護婦 – female nurse (kangofu)
- しかい、歯科医、はいしゃ、歯医者 – dentist (shikai, ha-isha)
- せいじか、政治家 – politician (seijika)
- べんごし、弁護士 – lawyer (bengoshi)
- しょうぼうし、消防士 – firefighter (shouboushi)
- けいさつかん、警察官 – police officer (keisatsukan)
- へいし、兵士 – soldier (heishi)
- けんちくか、建築家 – architect (kenchikuka)
- せんせい、先生 – teacher (sensei)
- きょうし、教師 – (academic) teacher (kyoushi)
- かしゅ、歌手 – singer (kashu)
- エンジニア – engineer(enjinia)
Body
- あし、足、脚 – foot, leg (ashi)
- かかと、踵 – heel (kakato)
- すね、脛 – shin (sune)
- ひざ、膝 – knee (hiza)
- もも、腿 – thigh (momo)
- あたま、頭 – head (atama)
- かお、顔 – face (kao)
- くち、口 – mouth (kuchi)
- くちびる、唇 – lips (kuchibiru)
- は、歯 – tooth (ha)
- はな、鼻 – nose (hana)
- め、目 – eye (me)
- ひげ、髭、鬚、髯 – moustache, beard (hige)
- かみ、髪 – hair (kami)
- みみ、耳 – ear (mimi)
- おなか、御腹 – stomach (onaka)
- うで、腕 – arm (ude)
- ひじ、肘 – elbow (hiji)
- かた、肩 – shoulder (kata)
- つめ、爪 – nail (tsume)
- て、手 – hand (te)
- てくび、手首 – wrist (tekubi)
- てのひら、掌、手の平 – palm of hand (te-no-hira)
- ゆび、指 – finger, toe (yubi)
- しり、尻 – buttocks (shiri)
- おなか、お腹 (はら、腹) – abdomen (o-naka)
- かんぞう、肝臓 – liver (kanzō)
- きも、肝 – liver (kimo)
- きんにく、筋肉 – muscle (kin’niku)
- くび、首 – neck (kubi)
- こころ、心 – heart [as in feelings] (kokoro)
- こし、腰 – waist, hip (koshi)
- しんぞう、心臓 – heart (shinzō)
- せなか、背中 – back (senaka)
- ち、血 – blood (chi)
- にく、肉 – meat (niku)
- はだ、肌、膚 – skin (hada)
- ひふ、皮膚 – skin (hifu)
- ほね、骨 – bone (hone)
- むね、胸 – chest (mune)
- かぜ、風邪 – cold [illness] (kaze)
- げり、下痢 – diarrhea (geri)
- びょうき、病気 – illness (byōki)
Family
- かぞく、家族 – family (kazoku)
- りょうしん、両親 – parents (ryoushin)
- こども、子供 – children, child (kodomo)
- ちち、父 – father (chichi)(«otou-san»)
- はは、母 – mother (haha)(«okaa-san»)
- つま、妻 – wife (tsuma)
- おっと、夫 – husband (otto)
- あに、兄 – older brother (ani) (onī-san)
- あね、姉 – older sister (ane) (onē-san)
- おとうと、弟 – younger brother (otōto)
- いもうと、妹 – younger sister (imōto)
- きょうだい、兄弟 – brothers, siblings (kyōdai)
- しまい、姉妹 – sisters (shimai)
- そふ、祖父 – grandfather (sofu) (ojii-san)
- そぼ、祖母 – grandmother (sobo) (obaa-san)
- まご、孫 – grandchild (mago)
- おじ、伯父、叔父 – uncle (oji) (oji-san)
- おば、伯母、叔母 – aunt (oba) (oba-san)
- いとこ、従兄弟、従姉妹、従兄、従弟、従姉、従妹 – cousin (itoko)
- めい、姪 – niece (mei)
- おい、甥 – nephew (oi)
Life
- いきもの、生き物 – living creatures (ikimono)
- ばけもの、化け物 – monster (bakemono)
Animals
- どうぶつ、動物 – animal (dōbutsu)
- チーター – cheetah (chītā)
- いぬ、犬 – dog (inu)
- ねこ、猫 – cat (neko)
- うし、牛 – cow (ushi)
- ぶた、豚 – pig (buta)
- うま、馬 – horse (uma)
- ひつじ、羊 – sheep (hitsuji)
- さる、猿 – monkey (saru)
- ねずみ、鼠 – mouse, rat (nezumi)
- とら、虎 – tiger (tora)
- オオカミ、狼 – wolf (ōkami)
- うさぎ、兎 – rabbit (usagi)
- りゅう、たつ、竜 – dragon (ryū, tatsu)
- しか、鹿 – deer (shika)
- かえる、蛙 – frog (kaeru)
- がま、蟇 – toad (gama)
- しし、獅子 – lion (shishi)
- キリン、麒麟 – giraffe (kirin)
- ぞう、象 – elephant (zō)
- とり、鳥 – bird (tori)
- にわとり、鶏 – chicken (niwatori)
- すずめ、雀 – sparrow (suzume)
- からす、烏 – crow, raven (karasu)
- わし、鷲 – eagle (washi)
- たか、鷹 – hawk, falcon (taka)
- さかな、魚 – fish (sakana)
- たい、鯛 – red snapper (tai)
- えび、海老 – shrimp, lobster (ebi)
- いわし、鰯 – sardine (iwashi)
- まぐろ、鮪 – tuna (maguro)
- かつお、鰹 – bonito (katsuo)
- さんま、秋刀魚 – pike (sanma)
- あじ、鰺 – horse mackerel (aji)
- さば、鯖 – mackerel (saba)
- イカ、烏賊 – squid (ika)
- タコ、蛸、章魚 – octopus (tako)
- むし、虫 – insect (mushi)
- ちょう、蝶 – butterfly (chō)
- ガ、蛾 – moth (ga)
- せみ、蝉 – cicada (semi)
- トンボ、蜻蛉 – dragonfly (tonbo)
- バッタ、飛蝗 – grasshopper (batta)
- クモ、蜘蛛 – spider (kumo)
- ホタル、蛍 – firefly (hotaru)
- ハエ、蝿、蠅 – housefly (hae)
- カ、蚊 – mosquito, gnat (ka)
- ゴキブリ、蜚蠊 – cockroach (gokiburi)
- カタツムリ、蝸牛 – snail (katatsumuri)
- ナメクジ、蛞蝓 – slug (namekuji)
- ミミズ、蚯蚓 – earthworm (mimizu)
- かい、貝 – shellfish (kai)
- かいがら、貝殻 – shell (kaigara)
- トカゲ、蜥蜴 – lizard (tokage)
- へび、蛇 – snake (hebi)
- くま、熊 – bear(kuma)
Plants
- しょくぶつ、植物 — plants (shokubutsu)
- くさ、草 — grass (kusa)
- はな、花 — flower (hana)
- み、実 — fruit (mi)
- き、木 — tree (ki)
- は、葉 (はっぱ、葉っぱ) — leaf (ha, happa)
- ね、根 (ねっこ、根っ子) — root (ne, nekko)
- くき、茎 — stem (kuki)
- きのこ、茸 — mushroom (kinoko)
- きく、菊 — chrysanthemum (kiku)
- さくら、桜 — cherry blossom (sakura)
- まつ、松 — pine tree (matsu)
- うめ、梅 — japanese plum or apricot (ume)
Crops
- こめ、米 – uncooked rice (kome)
- いね、稲 – rice growing in a field (ine)
- むぎ、麦 – wheat, barley, oats (mugi)
- やさい、野菜 – vegetable (yasai)
- くだもの、果物 – fruit for eating (kudamono)
- いも、芋 – yam, potato, taro (imo)
- まめ、豆 – beans, peas (mame)
- だいこん、大根 – Japanese white radish (daikon)
- にんじん、人参 – carrot (ninjin)
- リンゴ、林檎 – apple (ringo)
- ミカン、蜜柑 – mandarin orange (mikan)
- バナナ、かんしょう、甘蕉 – banana (banana, kanshō)
- ナシ、梨 – pear (nashi)
- クリ、栗 – chestnut tree (kuri)
- モモ、桃 – peach (momo)
- トマト、ばんか、蕃茄 – tomato (tomato, banka)
- スイカ、西瓜 – watermelon (suika)
Food
- たべもの、食べ物 — food (tabemono)
- ちょうしょく、朝食 — breakfast (chōshoku, asagohan)
- ひるごはん、昼御飯 — lunch (hirugohan)
- ばんごはん、晩御飯 — dinner (bangohan)
- ごはん、御飯 — cooked rice or meal (gohan)
- みそ、味噌 — miso (miso)
- りょうり、料理 — cooking (ryōri)
- サラダ — salad (sarada)
- デザート — dessert (dezāto)
- パン — bread (pan)
- サンドイッチ — sandwich (sandoitchi)
- おやつ、間食 — snack (oyatsu, kanshoku)
- アイスクリーム — ice cream (aisukurīmu)
- たこやき、たこ焼き — octopus dumpling (takoyaki)
Drink
- のみもの、飲み物 — drink/beverage (nomimono)
- ちゃ、茶 — tea (cha)
- おちゃ、お茶 — green tea (ocha)
- コーヒー、珈琲 — coffee (kōhī)
- ぎゅうにゅう、牛乳 — milk (gyūnyū)
- みず、水 — water (mizu)
- ビール — beer (bīru)
- ワイン — wine (wain)
Seasoning
- さとう、砂糖 — sugar (satō)
- しお、塩 — salt (shio)
- しょうゆ、醤油 — soy sauce (shōyu)
Time
- じかん、時間 – time (jikan)
- とき、じ、時 – ~hours (toki, ji)
- こよみ、カレンダー、暦 – calendar (koyomi, karendā)
- ふん、分 – minute (fun)
- びょう、秒 – second (byō)
- ひ、にち、日 – day (hi, nichi)
- つき、がつ、月 – month (tsuki, gatsu)
- (# -gatsu / (January,1st Month): Ichi-,Ni-,San-,Shi-,Go-,Roku-,Shichi-,Hachi-,Ku-,Jyu-,JyuIchi-,JyuNi- (December,12th Month)
- とし、ねん、年 – year (toshi, nen)
- (Last year: kyonen, this year: kotoshi, next year: rainen)
- きのう、さくじつ、昨日 – yesterday (kinō, sakujitsu)
- きょう、今日 – today (kyō)
- あした、あす、みょうにち、明日 – tomorrow (ashita, asu, myōnichi)
- あさ、朝 – morning (asa)
- (Yesterday morning: kinou no asa, this morning: kesa, tomorrow morning: ashita no asa)
- ひる、昼 – afternoon (hiru)
- ゆうがた、夕方 – evening (yūgata)
- ばん、晩 – evening (ban)
- よる、夜 – evening, night (yoru)
- ようび、曜日 – ~day (yōbi)
- しゅう、週 – week (shū)
- (Last week: senshū, this week: konshū, next week: raishū)
- いっしゅうかん、一週間 – one week (isshūkan)
Week Days
- にちようび、日曜日 – Sunday (nichi-yōbi)
- げつようび、月曜日 – Monday (getsu-yōbi)
- かようび、火曜日 – Tuesday (ka-yōbi)
- すいようび、水曜日 – Wednesday (sui-yōbi)
- もくようび、木曜日 – Thursday (moku-yōbi)
- きんようび、金曜日 – Friday (kin-yōbi)
- どようび、土曜日 – Saturday (do-yōbi)
Weather
- たいよう、太陽 – sun (taiyō)
- つき、月 – moon (tsuki)
- ほし、星 – star (hoshi)
- てんき、天気 – weather (tenki)
- はれ、晴れ – clear weather (hare)
- あめ、雨 – rain (ame)
- くもり、曇り – cloudy (kumori)
- ゆき、雪 – snow (yuki)
- かぜ、風 – wind (kaze)
- かみなり、雷 – thunder, lightning (kaminari)
- たいふう、台風 – typhoon (taifū)
- あらし、嵐 – storm (arashi)
- そら、空 – sky (sora)
Directions and positions
- きた、北 – north (kita)
- ひがし、東 – east (higashi)
- みなみ、南 – south (minami)
- にし、西 – west (nishi)
- ここ – here (koko)
- そこ – there (soko)
- あそこ – over there (asoko)
- みぎ、右 – right (migi)
- ひだり、左 – left (hidari)
- うえ、上 – above, up (ue)
- した、下 – below, down (shita)
- まえ、前 – front (mae)
- うしろ、後 – behind (ushiro)
- むこう、向こう – the other side, opposite side (mukō)
- ななめ、斜め – diagonal (naname)
- てまえ、手前 – nearer, more in front (temae)
- とおい、遠い – far (tooi)
- ちかい、近い – near, close (chikai)
Materials
- みず、水 – water (mizu)
- ゆ、湯 – hot water (yu)
- こおり、氷 – ice (kōri)
- ゆげ、湯気 – steam (yuge)
- ひ、火 – fire (hi)
- ガス – gas (gasu)
- くうき、空気 – air, atmosphere (kūki)
- つち、土 – earth, ground (tsuchi)
- きんぞく、金属 – metal, metallic (kinzoku)
- どろ、泥 – mud, mire, clay, plaster (doro)
- けむり、煙 – smoke, tobacco, opium (kemuri)
- てつ、鉄 – iron [Fe] (tetsu)
- どう、銅 – copper [Cu] (dō)
- きん、金 – gold [Au]; money (kin)
- ぎん、銀 – silver [Ag]; wealth (gin)
- なまり、鉛 – lead [Pb] (namari)
- しお、塩 – salt [NaCl] (shio)
Weights and measures
- メートル – meter (mētoru)
- リットル – litre (rittoru)
- グラム – gram (guramu)
- キロ – kilo- (kiro)
- ミリ – milli- (miri)
- センチメートル、センチ – centimeter (senchi)
- インチ – inch (inchi)
Society
- しゃかい、社会 – society (shakai)
- けいざい、経済 – economy, economics (keizai)
- かいしゃ、会社 – company (kaisha)
- かいぎ、会議 – meeting (kaigi)
- がっこう、学校 – school (gakkō)
- やくしょ、役所 – local government office (yakusho)
- みせ、店 – store (mise)
- ホテル – hotel (hoteru)
- こうじょう、工場 – factory (kōjō)
- かね、金 – money (kane, most commonly o-kane)
- さつ、札 – bill [of money, e.g., a thousand-yen bill] (satsu)
- こぜに、小銭 – small change (kozeni)
- つりせん、釣り銭、おつり、お釣り – change (tsurisen), change (o-tsuri)
- じどうはんばいき、自動販売機 – vending machine, slot machine (jidōhanbaiki)
- きっぷ、切符 – ticket (public transport, fine) (kippu)
- きって、切手 – stamp (kitte)
Human made objects
Home
- つくえ、机 – desk (tsukue)
- いす、椅子 – chair, position (isu)
- たたみ、畳 – a tatami mat (tatami)
- と、戸 – door, family (to)
- とびら、扉 – door panel (tobira)
- ドア – door (doa)
- まど、窓 – window (mado)
- ふとん、布団 – futon (futon)
- げんかん、玄関 – entrance (genkan)
- いえ、家 – house, home (ie)
- エレベーター – elevator (erebētā)
- エスカレーター – escalator (esukarētā)
- でんき、電気 – electricity (denki)
Tools
- くぎ、釘 – nail, spike (kugi)
- ひも、紐 – string, cord (himo)
- なわ、縄 – rope, string (nawa)
- ふくろ、袋 – pocket, bag (fukuro)
- かばん、鞄 – leather bag (kaban)
- かさ、傘 – umbrella, parasol (kasa)
- かぎ、鍵 – door bolt, key (kagi)
- ちょうこく、彫刻 – sculpture, engraving (chōkoku)
Stationery
- ぶんぼうぐ、文房具 – stationery (bunbōgu)
- インク – ink (inku)
- ペン – pen (pen)
- ボールペン – ball-point pen (bōrupen)
- まんねんひつ、万年筆 – fountain pen (mannenhitsu)
- えんぴつ、鉛筆 – pencil (enpitsu)
- ふで、筆 – brush for writing or painting (fude)
- チョーク – chalk (chōku)
- けしゴム、消しゴム – eraser (keshigomu)
- えんぴつけずり、鉛筆削り – pencil sharpener (enpitsu-kezuri)
- じょうぎ、定規 – ruler (jōgi)
- ノート – notebook (nōto)
- にっき、日記 – diary (nikki)
- カバー – book cover (kabā)
- ふうとう、封筒 – envelope (fūtō)
- はさみ、鋏 – scissors (hasami)
- ホッチキス – stapler (hotchikisu)
Clothes
- ふく、服 – clothes (fuku)
- ようふく、洋服 – western clothing (yōfuku)
- きもの、着物 – kimono (kimono)
- わふく、和服 – Japanese clothing (wafuku)
- そで、袖 – sleeve (sode)
- えり、襟 – lapel, collar (eri)
- ボタン – button (botan)
- チャック、ファスナー、ジッパー – zipper, zipper fastener (chakku, fasunā, jippā)
- ベルト – belt (beruto)
- くつ、靴 – shoe (kutsu)
- くつした、靴下 – sock (kutsushita)
- めがね、眼鏡 – glasses (megane)
Transport
- てつどう、鉄道 – railway (tetsudō)
- えき、駅 – station (eki)
- ひこうき、飛行機 – airplane (hikōki)
- くうこう、空港 (ひこうじょう、飛行場) – airport (kūkō, hikōjō)
- みち、道 – street, way, road (michi)
- どうろ、道路 – road (dōro)
- バスてい、バス停 – bus-stop (basutei)
- とおり、通り – avenue (tōri)
- でんしゃ、電車 – train (densha)
- くるま、車 (じどうしゃ、自動車) – car (kuruma, jidōsha)
- じてんしゃ、自転車 – bicycle (Jitensha)
Language
- もじ、文字 – letter, character, script (moji)
- じ、字 – a letter, character (ji)
- かんじ、漢字 – Chinese character (kanji)
- ひらがな、平仮名 – hiragana syllabary characters (hiragana)
- カタカナ、片仮名 – katakana syllabary characters (katakana)
- すうじ、数字 – numbers (sūji)
- アルファベット – alphabet (arufabetto)
- ローマ字 – Roman characters, Latin script (rōmaji)
- がいこくご、外国語 – foreign language (gaikokugo)
- にほんご、日本語 (こくご、国語) – Japanese [language] (nihongo)
- えいご、英語 – English [language] (eigo)
- ちゅうごくご、中国語 – Chinese [language] (chūgokugo)
- どいつご、ドイツ語 – German [language] (doitsugo)
- すぺいんご、スペイン語 – Spanish [language] (supeingo)
- ふらんすご、フランス語 – French [language] (furansugo)
- ちょうせんご、朝鮮語、かんこくご、韓国語 – Korean [language], South Korean [language] (chōsengo, kankokugo)
Media
- ほん、本 – book (hon)
- かみ、紙 – paper (kami)
- てがみ、手紙 – letter (tegami)
- しんぶん、新聞 – newspaper (shinbun)
- じしょ、辞書 – dictionary (jisho)
- パソコン – personal computer (pasokon)
Colors
- いろ、色 – color (iro, shikisai)
- あか、赤 – red (aka)
- きいろ、黄色 – yellow (kiiro)
- みどり、緑 – green (midori)
- あお、青 – blue (ao)
- むらさき、紫 – purple (murasaki, murasakiiro)
- しろ、白 – white (shiro)
- くろ、黒 – black (kuro)
- ピンク – pink (pinku)
- ちゃいろ、茶色 – brown (chairo)
- はいいろ、灰色、ねずみいろ、鼠色 – grey (haiiro, nezumiiro)
- オレンジ – orange (orenji)
Others
- え、絵 – picture (e)
- おんがく、音楽 – music (ongaku)
- りか、理科 – science (rika)
- さんすう、算数 – arithmetic (sansū)
- れきし、歴史 – history (rekishi)
- ちり、地理 – geography (chiri)
- たいいく、体育 – physical education (taiiku)
- スポーツ – sport (supōtsu)
- システム – system (shisutemu)
- じょうほう、情報 – information, news (jōhō)
- ひつよう、必要 – necessity (hitsuyō)
- べんきょう、勉強 – study (benkyō)
- いらい、依頼 – request (irai)
Numbers
- れい、ゼロ、零 – zero (rei, zero)
- いち、一 – one (ichi)
- に、二 – two (ni)
- さん、三 – three (san)
- よん、し、四 – four (yon, shi)
- ご、五 – five (go)
- ろく、六 – six (roku)
- なな、しち、七 – seven (nana, shichi)
- はち、八 – eight (hachi)
- きゅう、く、九 – nine (kyū, ku)
- じゅう、十 – ten (jū)
- ひゃく、百 – hundred (hyaku)
- せん、千 – thousand (sen)
- まん、万 – ten thousand (man)
- おく、億 – one hundred million (oku)
- ひとつ、一つ – one, one thing (hitotsu)
- ふたつ、二つ – two, two things (futatsu)
- みっつ、三つ – three, three things (mittsu)
- よっつ、四つ – four, four things (yottsu)
- いつつ、五つ – five, five things (itsutsu)
- むっつ、六つ – six, six things (muttsu)
- ななつ、七つ – seven, seven things (nanatsu)
- やっつ、八つ – eight, eight things (yattsu)
- ここのつ、九つ – nine, nine things (kokonotsu)
- とお、十 – ten, ten things (tō)
Abstract nouns
- これ – this, it (kore)
- それ – that (sore)
- あれ – that over there (are)
- どれ – which (dore)
- こちら、こっち – this direction, thing, person, or place (kochira, kocchi)
- そちら、そっち – that direction, thing, person, or place (sochira, socchi)
- あちら、あっち – that direction, thing, person, or place over there (achira, acchi)
- どちら、どっち – which direction, thing, person, or place (dochira, docchi)
- ひみつ、秘密 – secret (himitsu)
- じどう、自動 – automatic (jidō)
- ないよう、内容 – content (naiyō)
- はば、幅 – width, breadth, free room, difference (between two substances) (haba)
- せいしき、正式 – formality (seishiki)
- けっこん、結婚 – marriage (kekkon)
- げんざい、現在 – now (genzai)
- いま、今 – now (ima)
- かこ、過去 – past (kako)
- みらい、未来 – future (mirai)
Adjectives
Forms
- いい、よい、良い – good (ii, yoi)
- すごい、凄い – amazing (sugoi)
- すばらしい、素晴らしい – wonderful (subarashii)
- わるい、悪い – bad, inferior (warui)
- たかい、高い – expensive, high (takai)
- ひくい、低い – low (hikui)
- やすい、安い – cheap (yasui)
- おおきい、大きい – big (ōkii)
- ちいさい、小さい – small (chiisai)
- ほそい、細い – thin (hosoi)
- ふとい、太い – thick (futoi)
- ふるい、古い – old (furui)
- あたらしい、新しい – new (atarashii)
- わかい、若い – young (wakai)
- かるい、軽い – light, easy (karui)
- おもい、重い – heavy (omoi)
- やさしい、易しい – easy, simple (yasashii)
- むずかしい、難しい – difficult (muzukashii)
- やわらかい、柔らかい – soft (yawarakai)
- かたい、硬い、堅い – hard (katai)
- あつい、熱い、暑い – hot (atsui)
- つめたい、冷たい – cold (tsumetai)
- さむい、寒い – cold (samui) as in cold weather
- おいしい、美味しい – delicious (oishii)
- うまい、美味い、旨い – delicious, appetizing (umai)
- まずい、不味い – tastes awful (mazui)
- あまい、甘い – sweet (amai)
- からい、辛い – hot [spicy] (karai)
- しょっぱい、塩っぱい – salty (shoppai)
- にがい、苦い – bitter (nigai)
- うつくしい、美しい – beautiful (utsukushii)
Feelings
- うれしい、嬉しい – happy (ureshii)
- たのしい、楽しい – fun (tanoshii)
- かなしい、悲しい – sad (kanashii)
- さびしい、寂しい、淋しい – lonely (sabishii)
- さみしい、寂しい、淋しい — sad, lonely (samishii)
- こわい、怖い、恐い – scary (kowai)
- いたい、痛い – painful (itai)
- かゆい、痒い – itchy (kayui)
- くさい、臭い – stinky (kusai)
- つらい、辛い – painful, heart-breaking (tsurai)
Verbs
- する – to do (suru)
- やる – to do (yaru)
Existence
- いる – to exist [for animate objects] (iru)
- ある – to exist [for inanimate objects] (aru)
- なる – to become (naru)
- おこる、起こる、興る – to occur (okoru)
- あらわれる、現れる – to appear (arawareru)
- いきる、生きる – to live (ikiru)
- うむ、生む、産む – to give birth (umu)
- しぬ、死ぬ – to die (shinu)
- こわれる、壊れる – to breakin (kowareru)
- in intransitive sense
Movement
- いく、行く – to go (iku)
- くる、来る – to come (kuru)
- かえる、帰る、返る – to return (kaeru)
- あるく、歩く – to walk (aruku)
- とぶ、飛ぶ – to jump, to fly (tobu)
- およぐ、泳ぐ – to swim (oyogu)
Actions
- うごく、動く – to movein (ugoku)
- おどる、踊る – to dance (odoru)
- ねる、寝る – to sleep (neru)
- うたう、歌う – to sing (utau)
- かむ、噛む – to bite (kamu)
- たべる、食べる – to eat (taberu)
- のむ、飲む – to drink (nomu)
- さわる、触る – to touch (sawaru)
- なげる、投げる – to throw (nageru)
- もつ、持つ – to hold (motsu)
- うつ、打つ – to hit, to strike (utsu)
- なぐる、殴る – to hit, to strike (naguru)
- さす、指す – to point (sasu)
- さす、刺す – to stab (sasu)
- さす、差す – to raise or extend one’s hands (sasu)
- ける、蹴る – to kick (keru)
- すわる、座る – to sit (suwaru)
- たつ、立つ – to stand (tatsu)
- はしる、走る – to run (hashiru)
Changes of state
- あく、空く – to become unoccupied (aku)
- こむ、込む – to be crowded (komu)
- いる、要る – to need (iru)
- かわく、乾く – to become dry (kawaku)
- みだす、乱す — to disturb, to disarrange (midasu)
- みだれる、乱れる — to be disturbed, to become confused (midareru)
- つかえる、仕える — to serve, to work for (tsukaeru)
- そなわる、備わる — to be furnished with (sonawaru)
- すぐれる、優れる — to excel, to surpass (sugureru)
- ひえる、冷える — to grow cold, to get chilly, to cool down (hieru)
- さめる、覚める — to wake, to become sober, to be disillusioned (sameru)
- さめる、冷める — to cool down (sameru)
- むく、向く — to face, to turn toward (muku)
- たおれる、倒れる — to fall, to collapse (taoreru)
- かたまる、固まる — to harden, to solidify, to become firm (katamaru)
- うまる、埋まる — to be filled, to be surrounded, to overflow (umaru)
- うもれる、埋もれる — to be buried, to be covered (umoreru)
- ます、増す — to increase, to grow (masu)
- ふえる、増える — to increase, to multiply (fueru)
- へる、減る — to decrease (heru)
- はずれる、外れる — to deviate (hazureru)
- ふとる、太る — to grow fat (futoru)
- はじまる、始まる — to begin (hajimaru)
- おわる、終わる — to finish, to close (owaru)
- きめる、決める — to decide (kimeru)
Senses
- みる、見る – to see (miru)
- きく、聞く、聴く – to hear, to listen (kiku)
- さわる、触る – to touch, to feel (sawaru)
- かぐ、嗅ぐ – to smell (kagu)
Speech
- いう、言う – to say (iu)
- はなす、話す – to speak (hanasu)
- かたる、語る – to tell (kataru)
- かく、書く – to write (kaku)
- よむ、読む – to read (yomu)
Work
- つかう、使う – to use (tsukau)
- つくる、作る、造る、創る – to make (tsukuru)
- なおす、直す、治す – to fix, repair (naosu)
- すてる、捨てる – to discard, throw away (suteru)
- とる、取る、撮る、採る – to take (toru)
- おく、置く – to put (oku)
Emotions
- かなしむ、悲しむ、哀しむ – to be sad (kanashimu)
- なく、泣く – to cry (naku)
- わらう、笑う – to laugh (warau)
- おこる、怒る – to be angry (okoru)
- ほめる、褒める – to encourage (homeru)
- しかる、叱る – to scold (shikaru)
- よろこぶ、喜ぶ – to celebrate, to be jubilant, to have joy, to have delight, to have rapture (yorokobu)
- よろこび、喜び – joy, delight, rapture (yorokobi)
- なぐさめる、慰める – to console, to consolate, to provide empathy (nagusameru)
- あきる、飽きる – to be disinterested, to be bored, to be tired of, to be weary (akiru)
- おどろく、驚く – to be astonished, to be surprised, to be scared (odoroku)
Activities
- あう、会う – to meet, to interview (au)
- あける、開ける – to opentr, to unwraptr (akeru)
- あそぶ、遊ぶ – to play (asobu)
- あつまる、集まる – to gatherin (atsumaru)
- うる、売る – to sell (uru)
- える、得る – to obtain [some benefit or knowledge] (eru)
- おる、折る – to breaktr, to foldtr (oru)
- かう、買う – to buy (kau)
- きる、切る – to cut (kiru)†
- きる、着る – to wear [on the upper body] (kiru)
- はく、履く – to wear [on the lower body] (haku)
- かえる、変える – to changetr (kaeru)
- かえる、代える – to exchange, to substitute, to replace (kaeru)
- しめる、閉める – to closetr (shimeru)
- しめる、締める – to tie, to fasten (shimeru)
- しめる、占める – to comprise, to account for (shimeru)
- しる、知る – to know (shiru)†
- つかれる、疲れる – to get tired (tsukareru)
- でかける、出掛ける – to go out, to depart (dekakeru)
- はたらく、働く – to work [e.g., at a job] (hataraku)
- はなす、放す、離す – to let go of (hanasu)
- やすむ、休む – to rest, to take a break, to go to bed (yasumu)
- わかれる、分かれる – to split intoin, to be divided (wakareru)
- わかれる、別れる – to partin, to separatein, to break upin (wakareru)
- tr transitive sense
- in intransitive sense
- † conjugates as a u-verb
Adverbs
- もう – already (mō)
- まだ – still, yet (mada)
- ずっと – always (zutto)
- とても – very (totemo)
- こう – like this (kō)
- そう – like that (sō)
- ああ – in that other way (ā)
- どう – how (dō)
- しばしば – often (shibashiba)
Pre-noun adjectival
- この – this (kono)
- その – that (sono)
- あの – that (ano)
- どの – which (dono)
Interjections
- はい – yes (hai)
- いいえ – no (iie)
Conjunctions
- でも — but (demo)
- しかし – but, however (shikashi)
- そして – and then, Then… (soshite)
- それに – besides (soreni)
- なぜなら – that is because, being because (nazenara)
Terminations of verbs
- う、よう – volitional ending [う for u-verbs, よう for ru-verbs]: «Let’s…» or «I will» (u, yō)
- せる、させる – causative ending [せる for u-verbs, させる for ru-verbs]: to make [someone do something], to allow (seru, saseru)
- れる、られる – passive verb ending [れる for u-verbs, られる for ru-verbs]: to be <verbed> [e.g., 食べられる, «to be eaten»] (reru, rareru)
- そうだ – indicates that it seems the verb occurs [e.g., «It seems he ate»] (sōda)
- た – informal past-tense (ta)
- たい – indicates desire to perform verb (tai)
- だろう – indicates that it seems the verb occurs; also used to ask whether the verb occurs (darō)
- ない、ん – informal negative (nai, n) [ん is a slurred version and sounds a little masculine]
- ぬ – archaic informal negative [«he hath», «thou didst», etc.] (nu)
- ます – formal non-past ending (masu)
Particles
Case
- が – subject marker, but (ga)
- で – at, by (de)
- と – and, with (to)
- に – indirect object marker (ni)
- の – possession marker, of (no)
- へ – to (e) [Note: へ is normally read he, but when used as this particle its reading changes to e]
- まで – to (made)
- から – from (kara)
- より – than (yori)
- を – direct object marker (o)
Conjunctive
- および、及び – and; as well as (oyobi)
- か – whether (ka)
- かも – might be, possible that (kamo)
- そして – and then (sosh
ite) - それとも – or (soretomo)
- だの – things like <list of things>, including, such things as (dano)
- つつ – ongoing occurrence (tsutsu) [similar to ながら but has different tone, and both actions have equal weight]
- て – te form of verb or adjective [see explanation]
- と – when, if, that (to)
- ながら – while, though, both (nagara)
- ならびに – as well as (narabini)
- なり – whether or not (nari)
- に – to <somewhere>, by <someone> (ni)
- の – possession (no)
- ので – so (node)
- また、又 – also, again (mata)
- または、又は – or alternatively (matawa)
- も – also, too (mo)
- や – and (ya)
Final
- ね – emphasis and question marker, equivalent to «right?» (ne)
- か – question marker (ka)
- な – the copula particle used after quasi-adjectives (na)
- かしら – I wonder (kashira)
- さ – -ness (sa)
- っけ – particle indicating that the speaker is trying to recall some information [«What class is next -kke?»] (-kke)
Adverbial
- こそ – emphasis (koso)
- さえ – even (sae)
- しか – only (shika)
- すら – even (sura)
- くらい、ぐらい – approximately, about (kurai)
- だけ – only, as much as (dake)
- だって – however (datte)
- ったら – casual topic marker (ttara) [colloquial form of to ittara (if you refer to ~; as for ~)
- って – said that (tte)
- でも – also, or (demo)
- どころ – (particle used to indicate that what precedes it is an extreme example and strongly negates it) (dokoro)
- など – for example (nado)
- なら – if [for verbs]; subject marker [for nouns] (nara)
- なんか – casual undervalue, dislike, lack (nanka)
- なんて – casual undervalue, dislike, lack (nante)
- は – topic marker (wa) [although ha is the hiragana used, wa is the pronunciation)
- ばかり、ばっかり – just, full of, only (bakari)
- まで – until (made)
- も – too, also (mo)