Japanese Conversation · Level 54
90 words
Japanese word
草原
Pronunciation
Romajisōgen
Meaning
- noungrassland
Example
朝、草原を歩きました。asa sō gen o aru ki ma shi ta
I walked across the grassland in the morning.
More examples
夕方になると、草原に涼しい風が吹きます。yū gata ni na ru to sō gen ni suzu shi i kaze ga fu ki ma su
A cool breeze blows across the grassland in the evening.
Core concept
It refers to a broad natural-looking area in which grass dominates the landscape and trees are relatively scarce.
Common phrases
草原を歩くsō gen o aru ku
walk across the grassland
草原に寝転ぶsō gen ni ne koro bu
lie down in the grassland
草原が広がるsō gen ga hiro ga ru
the grassland stretches out
Similar words
草地kusachi: Land covered mainly with grass, whether natural or maintained.
野原nohara: An open area of uncultivated land covered mainly with grass and wild plants.
原っぱharappa: An open, undeveloped area with grass or other low plants, often used as a casual term.
Definition in Japanese
樹木が少なく、草が広く生えている土地。ju moku ga suku na ku kusa ga hiro ku ha e te i ru to chi
Word origin
The Sino-Japanese compound 草原 (sōgen) joins 草 (sō, "grass") with 原 (gen, "open land") to express the idea of grassy open land.
Usage tips
- Grassland can include dry plains and tropical savannas, so the English word covers more environments than a picture of a green meadow alone.
Other meanings
- meadownoun
- grassy fieldnoun