Language/Japanese/Grammar/Emphasis-and-Intensification
Հայերէն
Български език
官话
官話
Hrvatski jezik
Český jazyk
Nederlands
English
Suomen kieli
Français
Deutsch
עברית
हिन्दी
Magyar
Bahasa Indonesia
فارسی
Italiano
Қазақ тілі
한국어
Lietuvių kalba
Νέα Ελληνικά
Şimali Azərbaycanlılar
Język polski
Português
Limba Română
Русский язык
Српски
Español
العربية القياسية
Svenska
Wikang Tagalog
தமிழ்
ภาษาไทย
Türkçe
Українська мова
Urdu
Tiếng Việt
In this lesson, you will learn how to express emphasis and intensification in Japanese using interjections and adverbs. These expressions add nuance and emotion to your sentences and are commonly used in daily conversations.
Interjections
Interjections are words or phrases used to express strong emotions such as surprise, anger, joy, or frustration. In Japanese, interjections are called 感動詞 (kandoushi) and are often written in katakana. Here are some common interjections and their meanings:
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ああ | aah | Oh! |
| ええ | ee | Well... |
| おお | oo | Wow! |
| うっ | u' | Oops! |
| うわ | uwa | Oops! / Wow! |
| えっ | eh | Huh? |
| おや | oya | Oh? |
| そうですか | soudesu ka | Is that so? |
| もう | mou | Already |
Note that the pronunciation and meaning of some interjections may vary depending on the context and intonation.
You can use interjections to show your reaction to something, to express your feelings or attitude, or to fill in the conversation. For example:
- うわ、すごい！ (Uwa, sugoi!) - Wow, amazing!
- ええ、なんだろうね (Ee, nandaroune) - Well, I wonder what it is.
- ああ、わかった！ (Aa, wakatta!) - Oh, I got it!
Interjections can also be combined with other words or phrases to create more nuanced expressions. For example:
- うわっ、まじで？ (Uwa, majide?) - Whoa, really?
- ええと、まあそれは (Eeto, maa sore wa) - Um, well that is...
- そうだよね、あの人 (Souda yo ne, ano hito) - That's right, that person...
Interjections are not always appropriate in formal or polite settings and should be used with caution in such situations.
Adverbs
Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs to indicate the manner, time, place, degree, or frequency of the action or state. In Japanese, adverbs are usually formed by adding the suffix ～く (ku) to the stem of the corresponding adjective. Here are some common adverbs and their meanings:
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| あまり | amari | Not much / Not very |
| いつも | itsumo | Always |
| かなり | kanari | Fairly / Quite |
| きちんと | kichinto | Properly / Neatly |
| だいぶ | daibu | Quite a lot / Much |
| とても | totemo | Very |
| ちゃんと | chanto | Properly / Perfectly |
| どうしても | doushitemo | No matter what / By all means |
Note that some adverbs, such as いつも (itsumo) and とても (totemo), are frequently used in spoken Japanese and can be replaced by their alternatives in more formal or written contexts.
Adverbs can be used to modify verbs to indicate how the action is performed, when it happens, or where it takes place. For example:
- とても速く (Totemo hayaku) - Very fast
- あまり好きじゃない (Amari suki janai) - Not very likeable
- いつもそこで待ってる (Itsumo soko de matteru) - Always waiting there
- かなり大変だ (Kanari taihen da) - Quite tough
Adverbs can also be used to modify adjectives to indicate the degree of the quality or characteristic. For example:
- ちゃんと綺麗だ (Chanto kirei da) - Properly clean
- だいぶ低いね (Daibu hikui ne) - Quite low, isn't it?
Adverbs can be placed before or after the word they modify, depending on the emphasis and clarity of the sentence. In general, adverbs that indicate time, manner, or place tend to come before the word they modify, while adverbs that indicate degree or frequency tend to come after the word they modify.
Intensification
Intensification is the act of making something stronger or more extreme. In Japanese, intensification can be expressed by adding specific words and particles to the sentence. Here are some examples:
- めっちゃ楽しかった！ (Meccha tanoshikatta!) - It was super fun!
- 普通はあまり食べないけど、今日はすごくお腹が空いた (Futsuu wa amari tabenai kedo, kyou wa sugoku onaka ga suita) - I don't usually eat much, but today I'm really hungry.
- ちょっと待って！ (Chotto matte!) - Wait a minute!
- 本当に大丈夫？ (Hontou ni daijoubu?) - Are you really okay?
In the examples above, めっちゃ (meccha) and すごく (sugoku) are adverbs that intensify the degree of the adjective or verb they modify, while ちょっと (chotto) and 本当に (hontou ni) are adverbs that intensify the tone or meaning of the sentence.
Other particles that can be used for intensification are もの (mono) and こと (koto). These particles are added after the verb and emphasize the fact or circumstance of the action. For example:
- 全部食べたもの！ (Zenbu tabeta mono!) - I ate everything!
- 寒いと言われたことがある！ (Samui to iwareta koto ga aru!) - I've been told that I'm cold!
In the examples above, もの (mono) and こと (koto) emphasize the completion and experience of the action, respectively.
Conclusion
In this lesson, you have learned how to express emphasis and intensification in Japanese using interjections and adverbs. These expressions are important for conveying emotions and attitudes in daily conversations. Remember to