Ichigo is the Japanese word for 'strawberry', explained (2024)

What does “ichigo” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “ichigo” to mean ‘strawberry’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji character. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “ichigo” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “ichigo”
• Ichigo in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “strawberries” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “ichigo”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “ichigo”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “ichigo”.

• ichigo – 苺 (いちご) : a noun meaning ‘strawberry’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to strawberries in Japanese. So, the usage is very simple. It’s also worth mentioning here that the hiragana expression is common too and therefore very acceptable.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji character in detail.

Ichigo in kanji

The kanji character of “ichigo” consists of the following two parts:

• 艹 : a kanji radical widely used in Japanese words related to grass or weeds.
• 母 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘mother’ in Japanese. This can also be found in other words like “okaasan“.

From these two parts, we can understand that “ichigo” literally means a ‘grass mother’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meaning, but still represents well the lives of strawberries. Normally, one low stem or crown grows some strawberries. To describe this role, Japanese people in the past decided to use the kanji character for a mother as a kind of metaphor.

When we meet new kanji characters, we should check their kanji parts in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji parts tell us a lot about the meanings of the characters they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “ichigo” through the detailed check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “ichigo” together with its kanji parts. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “strawberries” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• mochiron – もちろん : an adverb meaning ‘of course’, ‘for sure’, ‘definitely’, or such in Japanese.
• 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 “ichigo” to make the object in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to like’.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “ichigo”. When we want to mean a ‘strawberry’ or ‘strawberries’ in Japanese, this noun is the best option.

Example #2: another usage of “ichigo”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “ichigo” and “kēki”. The formed phrase literally means ‘strawberry cake’ in Japanese.
• kēki – ケーキ (けーき) : a noun meaning ‘cake’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after the noun phrase, “ichigo no kēki”, to make the object in the sentence.
• tabe – 食べ (たべ) : one conjugation of the verb, “taberu“, which means ‘to eat’ 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. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “tabe” to make its past tense form, “tabe ta”.

This is another typical usage of “ichigo”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “ichigo no kēki”, which literally means ‘strawberry cake’ in Japanese.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “ichigo” in detail based on its kanji character. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• ichigo – 苺 (いちご) : a noun meaning ‘strawberry’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. This kanji character literally means a ‘grass mother’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meaning, but still represents well the lives of strawberries. Normally, one low stem or crown grows some strawberries. To describe this role, Japanese people in the past decided to use the kanji character for a mother as a kind of metaphor. It’s also worth mentioning here that the hiragana expression is common too and therefore very acceptable.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.