生 – What does Nama mean?
If you have ever had a beer in Japan you may have heard the word, 生ビール. Or, while watching television you may see the word 生放送. You may have even taken a bath which was 生ぬるい.
When you look at these three Japanese words they all have one thing in common. Which is of course the word 生. You may be thinking to yourself, doesn’t Nama mean raw? If so, then you would be right! But, that is not the complete picture. So, what does Nama mean then?
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What does 生 mean in Japanese?
There are several meanings for 生 and ways to use the word in different situations. 生 can mean the following:
- Something that is raw or uncooked
- First-hand or unedited thoughts, ideas about something
- Live performance, broadcast, stream, etc.
- Slightly
- Unsatisfactory, insufficient, or inadequate
Raw or Uncooked
Here we have the most iconic translation for 生. Probably the first meaning you have attributed to 生 when learning Japanese was raw. That is correct and is a good place to start. So, without getting into the details which I don’t really know anyway, the 生 in 生ビール means raw. It refers to not sterilizing or adding heat during the process of making the beer, or something along those lines. In English, this would be draught Beer.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/
Anyway, in most cases, you could translate 生 as raw and it would make sense in English too even if you were not actually talking about food.
First-hand or Unedited
A news reporter or interviewer gets to talk to people directly. By doing so they are able to get those people’s raw thoughts or opinions first-hand. 生 in Japanese can mean getting people’s real, or first-hand thoughts on something. That is instead of getting it second-handed from another new’s source.
記者が国民の生の声を聞いた
The reporter heard the citizen’s voice first-hand
Live!
Today with YouTube you can watch lots of raw streams of Japanese cities, train stations, or even people driving.
3 Live Driving in Japan YouTube Channels
Also, you can watch raw broadcasts of news, or go see a raw performance at the theater. Just like the word raw means uncooked, when we are talking about video or performances live would mean unedited and now. 生 in this situation means live.
- 生放送 – live broadcast
Slightly
One of the worst things to experience is hopping into a tub of raw water. Ok, hear the metaphor does not hold up as well. 生ぬるい is a word in Japanese which means luke-warm. Or you may have a 生暖かい meaning slightly warm, breeze. In both cases, 生 means slightly, or to a small degree. In these two cases, the wind is just a little warm, and the water is not warm enough.
Unsatisfactory or Inadequate
Finally, 生 can sometimes refer to something that is unsatisfactory or inadequate. If you have ever been talking to someone who seems uninterested like they are not listening and just giving half-assed responses it can be frustrating. In Japanese, the perfect word to describe the would-be 生返事. This word means vague or half-hearted responses.
So that’s what 生 means in Japanese. If you want to learn more Japanese I reviewed a dictionary of grammar series which I personally recommend and use myself.
I also have several other posts on various topics on Japanese Universe if you are interested.
