What Is the Japanese Word for Ice
Home » nouns » Ice in Japanese: kōri, explained based on its kanji expression
How to say "ice" in Japanese
Since "ice" was imported from English to Japanese, its pronunciation is very understandable and acceptable to Japanese people. In most cases, however, it refers to ice cream. So, we cannot use it to say "ice" in Japanese. For this purpose, we need to use the Japanese word, "kōri", instead. In this blog post, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. Let's get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of "kōri"
- Example #1: how to say "ice" in Japanese
- Example #2: another usage of "kōri"
- Summary
Definition and meaning of "kōri"
Let me start with the definition and meaning of "kōri".
- kōri – 氷 (こおり) : a noun meaning 'ice' in Japanese.
Interestingly, the kanji expression of "kōri" is quite similar to that of "mizu", which means 'water' in Japanese. Let me explain it as follows:
- mizu – 水 (みず) : a noun meaning 'water' in Japanese.
Both look very similar, but "kōri" has one additional dot over the "フ" part on the left side. This one dot differentiates "ice" from "water" in the Japanese language. Perhaps these two kanji expressions are confusing to Japanese learners, but worth learning together.
Then, let me explain how to use "kōri" through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say "ice" in Japanese
reizouko ni kōri ga nai – 冷蔵庫に氷が無い (れいぞうこにこおりがない)
There's no ice in the fridge.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- reizouko – 冷蔵庫 (れいぞうこ) : a noun meaning 'fridge' in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to indicate a particular place which someone or something is in. In the example, this is used after "reizouko" to indicate the place where "kōri" doesn't exist.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after "kōri" to make the subject word in the sentence.
- nai – 無い (ない) : an i-adjective used to deny the existence of a thing. In the example, this is used to deny the existence of "kōri".
This is a typical usage of "kōri". In this example, it is used to say "there's no ice in the fridge". If we use the imported word instead, in other words, if we say "reizouko ni aisu ga nai", it means 'there's no ice cream' in Japanese. When we want to say "ice" in Japanese, therefore, we need to say "kōri". Imported words do not always have their original meanings.
Example #2: another usage of "kōri"
yuki ga kōri ni nat ta – 雪が氷になった (ゆきがこおりになった)
Snow turned into ice.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- yuki – 雪 (ゆき) : a noun meaning 'snow' in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to indicate a state or condition which someone or something is in after a change or action. In this example, this is used after "kōri" to say what "yuki" became after a change.
- nat – なっ : one conjugation of the verb, "naru", which means 'to become', 'to turn', 'to get', or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after "nat" to make its past tense form, "nat ta".
This is another typical usage of "kōri". In this example, this is used as the object word to say what "yuki" turned into.
Summary
In this example, I've explained the word, "kōri", 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.
- kōri – 氷 (こおり) : a noun meaning 'ice' in Japanese. Its kanji expression is similar to that of "mizu", which means 'water' in Japanese. The one additional dot over the "フ" part on the left side differentiates "ice" from "water" in the Japanese language.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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What Is the Japanese Word for Ice
Source: https://japaneseparticlesmaster.xyz/ice-in-japanese/