how to say “future” in Japanese
Japanese would say “mirai” or “shourai”. both are Japanese words for ‘future’, but not completely the same. In this blog post, therefore, I will explain these two words in detail based on their kanji expressions. and also, I will explain how they are different. my explanations would help Japanese students to say “future” correctly in Japanese. then, let’s take a look!
content
- definition and meaning of “mirai”
- “mirai” in kanji
- example #1: how to say “our future” in Japanese
- definition and meaning of “shourai”
- “shourai” in kanji
- example #2: how to use “shourai”
- example #3: when not to use “mirai”
- summary
- mirai – 未来 (みらい): a noun meaning ‘(the) future’ in Japanese.
- 未: a kanji character often used as a prefix to add the meaning of “not yet”.
- 来: a widely used kanji character to mean “come” or to express the act of coming. this kanji can also be found in other words like “raishuu” and “rainen”.
- watashi – 私 (わたし): a pronoun that means “i” in Japanese.
- tachi – 達 (たち): a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. in the example, it is used after “watashi” to make its plural form, “watashi tachi”, which means “we” in Japanese. learn more about the Japanese plural.
- not – の: a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to form its possessive case. in the example, it is used after “watashi tachi” to make its possessive case, “watashi tachi no”, which means “our” in Japanese.
- wa – は: a binding particle that functions as a case marker or topic marker. in the example, this is used after the noun phrase, “watashi tachi no mirai”, to form the subject in the sentence.
- akarui – 明るい (あかるい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘bright’, ‘hopeful’, ‘promising’, or such in japanese.
- shourai – 将来 (しょうらい) : a noun meaning ‘(the) future’ in japanese.
- 将 : a kanji character that often means “exactly”, “surely”, “certainly”, or similar.
- 来 : the same as explained above. this kanji is widely used to mean “come” or to express the act of coming.
- kare – 彼 (かれ): a pronoun meaning “he” in Japanese.
- isha – 医者 (いしゃ): a noun meaning “doctor” in Japanese. this can also function as a plural noun.
- ni – に: a case particle used to indicate a particular state someone or something is in after a change or action. in the example, it is used after “isha” to say what “kare” will become in the future. here, the occupation can be considered as a state in which “kare” will be.
- naru – なる: a verb meaning ‘to be’, ‘turn’, ‘get’ or ‘become’ in Japanese.
- mirai – 未来 (みらい): a noun meaning “(the) future” in Japanese. these two kanji characters literally mean “not yet arrived”. this is suitable for a time in the future in a broad sense.
- shourai – 将来 (しょうらい): a noun meaning “(the) future” in Japanese. this has the nuance of ‘surely coming (but not yet)’. therefore, this is more suitable for a time in the future when something is likely to happen.
definition and meaning of “mirai”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “mirai”.
I think its definition and meaning are simple and clear. however, to better understand this word, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
“mirai” in kanji
the kanji expression for “mirai” consists of the following two characters:
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “mirai” literally means “it hasn’t arrived yet”. this kanji concept is completely in line with the meaning i think. the future is not here yet.
when we come across new kanji expressions, we should review their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meaning of the words they form. Actually, here, we could get a better understanding of “mirai” through the detailed kanji check above.
then let me explain how to use “mirai” through the following example sentence.
example #1: how to say “our future” in Japanese
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
This is a typical use of “mirai”. in this example, it works as part of the commonly used expression, “watashi tachi no mirai”, which means “our future” in Japanese.
as shown in the translation, “mirai” corresponds well to the English noun “future”. these two words are very similar, but not the same. The Japanese normally use “mirai” to refer to a time in the future in a broad sense; however, it is not suitable for a specific time in the future when something is likely to happen. when we want to refer to a time in the future more specifically, we must use “shourai”. so “mirai” and “future” are not always a perfect match. sometimes, we need to use “shourai” for its translation.
then let me explain the definition and meaning of “shourai”.
definition and meaning of “shourai”
Below are the definition and meaning of “shourai”.
The definition and meaning of “shourai” are the same as “mirai”. however, as I mentioned earlier, it refers to a time in the future more specifically: a time when something is likely to happen. Perhaps this explanation sounds strange to students of Japanese, as the future is uncertain for us. later, I will explain this point in more detail through the example sentence. Before that, let me explain the kanji characters for “shourai” in detail one by one.
“shourai” in kanji
the kanji expression for “shourai” consists of the following two characters:
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “shourai” has the nuance of “surely coming (but not yet)”. this word is therefore suitable for a specific time in the future when something is likely to happen. in this sense, “shourai” is very different from “mirai”, whose kanji characters simply mean “not yet arrived”. we need to use these two words appropriately depending on the situation and the context.
then let me explain how to use “shourai” through the following example sentence.
example #2: how to use “shourai”
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
This is a typical use of “shourai”. becoming a doctor is an event in the future and is likely to happen. so “shourai” is appropriate for this context. or perhaps I should say, “mirai” is not suitable for this use at all. in fact, native Japanese speakers don’t use “mirai” when talking about future jobs.
This Japanese example can be paraphrased with “mirai” as follows. it would help us to see the difference between “mirai” and “shourai”.
example #3: when not to use “mirai”
This Japanese phrase might be understandable, but it sounds really, really weird. the concept of “mirai” is not suitable for a specific event in the future. in this context, “shourai” is much better, which has the nuance of “will surely come”. “mirai” is more general; “shourai” is more specific. this is the big difference between the two similar words. I think it’s definitely worth knowing for Japanese learners.
summary
In this blog post, I have explained “mirai” and “shourai” in detail based on their kanji expressions. and also, I have explained their difference. let me summarize them as follows.
I hope that my explanations are understandable and useful for students of Japanese.