Monday, September 14, 2009

言葉

Saturday we learned about 語. Well here's one more way to say "language" in Japanese, but there's a slightly different sense here: 言葉(ことば)literally means "leaflet/incarnation of communication," 言 meaning "something someone says" and 葉 "leaf." You can use this word to refer to a dialect (京言葉 - "Kyoto dialect"), or to the words somebody is speaking (感情を言葉に表す (かんじょうを ことばに あらわす - "express one's feelings in words").