Japanese word

約

Pronunciation

Romajiyaku

Meaning

  • adverbabout

Example

駅まで約十分です。eki ma de yaku jip pun de su

It is about ten minutes to the station.

Illustration for 約 (about)

More examples

参加者は約五十人でした。san ka sha wa yaku go jū nin de shi ta

There were about fifty participants.

Core concept

Marks a quantity or time as close to a stated value without fixing it exactly.

Common phrases

  • 約五人yaku go nin

    about five people

  • 約二十ページyaku ni jū pē ji

    about twenty pages

  • 約三か月yaku san ka getsu

    about three months

Similar words

だいたいdaitai: Gives an approximate number, amount, or time without stating an exact value.
ほぼhobo: States that a quantity or period of time is close to the given value.
およそoyoso: Introduces an approximate number, amount, or period of time in a relatively formal style.

Definition in Japanese

数量や時間などを、正確な数値ではなく近いおおよそのものとして示す。sū ryō ya ji kan na do o sei kaku na sū chi de wa na ku chika i o o yo so no mo no to shi te shime su

Word origin

The adverb 約 (yaku, "approximately") uses the Sino-Japanese reading of the Chinese character 約, which developed meanings related to binding, limitation, agreement, and approximation.

Usage tips

  • In beginner conversations, 約 (yaku) signals an estimate before a number, while English "about" also has a separate meaning related to a topic.

Opposites

Word lists with this word