Japanese word

助動詞

Pronunciation

Romajijodōshi

Meaning

  • nounauxiliary verb

Example

この文には助動詞が二つあります。ko no bun ni wa jo dō shi ga futa tsu a ri ma su

This sentence has two auxiliary verbs.

Illustration for 助動詞 (auxiliary verb)

More examples

文法を学ぶとき、助動詞を丁寧に確認します。bun pō o mana bu to ki jo dō shi o tei nei ni kaku nin shi ma su

When studying grammar, we carefully review auxiliary verbs.

Core concept

Japanese 助動詞 (jodōshi) adds a grammatical layer such as tense or negation to an inflected word instead of naming the main action itself.

Common phrases

  • 助動詞の活用jo dō shi no katsu yō

    auxiliary verb conjugation

  • 助動詞の意味jo dō shi no i mi

    meaning of an auxiliary verb

  • 助動詞を使うjo dō shi o tsuka u

    use an auxiliary verb

Definition in Japanese

活用する語に付いて、時制・否定・推量などの文法的な意味を加える語。katsu yō su ru go ni tsu i te ji sei hi tei sui ryō na do no bun pō teki na i mi o kuwa e ru go

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese term 助動詞 (jodōshi, "auxiliary verb") combines 助 (jo, "help") with 動詞 (dōshi, "verb"), describing a word that helps a verb express added grammatical meaning.

Usage tips

  • In Japanese, 助動詞 (jodōshi, "auxiliary verb") can follow an adjective or another auxiliary, so its category is broader in practice than the English label suggests.

Word lists with this word