What Is the Japanese Word for Lightning

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How to say "thunder" in Japanese

Japanese people would say "kaminari". It is the Japanese word for 'thunder', 'lightning', or both. In this blog post, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression and pronunciation. And also, I will explain how to use this word through example sentences. Let's get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of "kaminari"
• "Kaminari" in kanji
• Origin of the pronunciation
• Example #1: how to say "lightning" in Japanese
• Example #2: how to say "thunder" in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of "kaminari"

Let me start with the definition and meanings of "kaminari".

• kaminari – 雷 (かみなり) : a noun meaning 'thunder', 'lightning', or 'thunder and lightning' in Japanese.

Japanese people use "kaminari" to express the noise of a lightning or a lightning itself. So, this word can cover the meanings of both English words, "thunder" and "lightning".

The definition and meanings of "kaminari" are simple and clear, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji character and pronunciation in detail.

"Kaminari" in kanji

The kanji character of "kaminari" can be broken down into the following two parts:

• 雨 : a kanji character used to mean 'rain' in Japanese.
• 田 : a kanji character widely used to mean 'rice field' in Japanese.

So, the upper part of "kaminari" means 'rain'; the lower part means 'rice field'. This kanji concept doesn't seem to be in line with the meanings. Yet, this kanji character expresses well the path of a lightning. It comes from rain clouds and reaches the ground. "Rain clouds" are expressed by "雨" meaning 'rain'; "the ground" is expresses by "田" meaning 'rice field'. Apparently, ancient people were very good at expressing new concepts by connecting existing kanji characters.

Origin of the pronunciation

Before the invention of the kanji, however, its pronunciation had already been used. Next, then, let me explain where this pronunciation came from. "Kaminari" can be broken down into the following two parts:

• kami – 神 (かみ) : a noun meaning 'God' in Japanese.
• nari – 鳴り (なり) : a noun form of the verb, "naru", which means 'to sound', 'to ring', 'to rumble', 'to roar', or such.

From these two parts, we can understand that "kaminari" means 'the sound from God'. So, ancient people understood that thunder is the sound from God or perhaps the sound from the place where God lives. This concept is also good, I think. "Kaminari" is a really interesting word in the two aspects: its appearance and its pronunciation.

Then, let me explain how to use this word through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say "lightning" in Japanese

kaminari ga mie mashi ta – 雷が見えました (かみなりがみえました)

I saw a lightning.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after "kaminari" to make the subject word in the sentence.
• mie – 見え (みえ) : one conjugation of the verb, "mieru", which means 'to appear', 'to be seen', 'to be in sight', or such. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• mashi – まし : one conjugation of the verb, "masu", which is used after a verb to make it polite. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, "mie", to make it sound polite.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb, adjective, auxiliary verb, or phrase to make its past tense form. In the example, it is put after the verb phrase, "mie mashi", to make its past tense form, "mie mashi ta".

This is a typical usage of "kaminari". In this example, it is used to mean a lightning. When we want to say "lightning" in Japanese, this would be the best choice in most cases.

Example #2: how to say "thunder" in Japanese

kaminari no oto mo kiki mashi ta – 雷の音も聞きました (かみなりのおともききました)

And I heard the thunder.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• no – の : a case particle used to limit the meaning of its following word with the meaning of its preceding word based on relations like possessing and belonging. In the example, it is used to limit the meaning of "oto" with the meaning of "kaminari". The formed phrase, "kaminari no oto", can literally be translated as 'the sound of thunder'. In reality, the phrase has been translated as 'the thunder', though.
• oto – 音 (おと) : a noun meaning 'sound' in Japanese.
• mo – も : a binding particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the nuance of "also", "as well", "too", or just "and".
• kiki – 聞き (きき) : one conjugation of the verb, "kiku", which means 'to hear' or 'to listen' in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is another typical usage of "kaminari". In this example, it is used as a part of the expression, "kaminari no oto", which literally means 'the sound of thunder'. Yet, "kaminari" itself can also mean 'the sound of thunder'. When we want to add the meaning of 'the sound of' intentionally, "no oto" would be helpful.

Summary

In this blog post, I've explained the word, "kaminari", in detail based on its kanji expression and pronunciation. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kaminari – 雷 (かみなり) : a noun meaning 'thunder', 'lightning', or 'thunder and lightning' in Japanese. This kanji character means 'rain' and 'rice field'. It expresses well the path of a lightning. The pronunciation came from "kami" and "nari" which mean 'God' and 'sound' respectively. So, it means 'the sound from God' or perhaps 'the sound from the place where God lives'.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.

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What Is the Japanese Word for Lightning

Source: https://japaneseparticlesmaster.xyz/thunder-in-japanese/

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