What Is the Japanese Word for Heaven
Home » nouns » Heaven in Japanese: tengoku, explained based on its kanji expression
How to say "heaven" in Japanese
Japanese people would say "tengoku". It is the Japanese word for 'heaven'. Very simple, I think. 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 say "heaven" properly in Japanese. Then, let's get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of "tengoku"
- "Tengoku" in kanji
- Example #1: how to say "go to heaven" in Japanese
- Example #2: another usage of "tengoku"
- Summary
Definition and meaning of "tengoku"
Let me start with the definition and meaning of "tengoku".
- tengoku – 天国 (てんごく) : a noun meaning 'heaven' in Japanese.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
"Tengoku" in kanji
The kanji expression of "tengoku" consists of the following two characters:
- 天 : a kanji character used to mean 'sky'.
- 国 : a kanji character used to mean 'country' or 'countries'. Learn more about Japanese plural.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that "tengoku" literally means 'the sky country' in Japanese. This kanji concept is not really in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. Heaven is widely believed to be the place above the sky.
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 "tengoku" through the detailed kanji check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say "go to heaven" in Japanese
shisha wa tengoku e iku to omoi masu ka – 死者は天国へ行くと思いますか (ししゃはてんごくへいくとおもいますか)
Do you think that the dead go to heaven?
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- shisha – 死者 (ししゃ) : a noun meaning 'dead person', 'dead people', or 'the dead' in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese words related to "death".
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after "shisha" to make the subject word in the clause.
- e – へ : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after "tengoku" to say where the dead go.
- iku – 行く (いく) : a verb meaning 'to go' in Japanese.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this is used after the clause, "shisha wa tengoku e iku", to indicate a quote.
- omoi – 思い (おもい) : one conjugation of the verb, "omou", which means 'to think' in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after "omoi" to make is sound polite.
- ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question. As the grammatical definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to make the question.
This is a typical usage of "tengoku". In this example, it works as a part of the expression, "tengoku e iku", which literally means 'to go to heaven' in Japanese. Native speakers sometimes use this expression, so it's worth knowing. Anyway, when we want to say "heaven" in Japanese, "tengoku" is the best choice.
Example #2: another usage of "tengoku"
koko wa tengoku desu – ここは天国です (ここはてんごくです)
This is heaven.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- koko – ここ : a demonstrative pronoun used to indicate a place very close to the speaker. This is often translated into English as "here", "this", or "it". In the example, this is used to call the place where the speaker is standing.
- 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 "tengoku" to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of "tengoku". In this example, it works as a part of the expression, "koko wa tengoku desu". Japanese native speakers sometimes use this expression as a metaphor for a heaven-like place. It's worth knowing, I think.
Summary
In this blog post, I've explained "tengoku" 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.
- tengoku – 天国 (てんごく) : a noun meaning 'heaven' in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean 'the sky country'. Heaven is widely believed to be the place above the sky, so this kanji concept is very close to the meaning. Japanese native speakers sometimes use this word as a metaphor for a heaven-like place.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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What Is the Japanese Word for Heaven
Source: https://japaneseparticlesmaster.xyz/heaven-in-japanese/