If you are familiar with Japanese pop culture, whether it be Jpop, anime, or manga, you would most likely have come across the term oyasuminasai at least once in your life. As most fans of the Japanese culture know, oyasumi is the term that is used when wishing someone a good night.
Just like any other word in the Japanese language, each syllable and character have its own distinct meaning and weight. What does each of the parts of the term oyasumi mean? This article aims to teach you what exactly makes up a good night’s greeting.
The Meaning Behind Oyasumi
The term oyasumi may have come from many different origins. The first of which would be from the usage of the characters 御 and 休み. These o and yasumi, respectively. O is an honorific prefix used to signify a formality in speech while yasumi is the term for rest, breaks, and holidays.
御
This may also be written as お in hiragana or o- in romaji. This character is most often used to indicate that the word it is fixed to relates to the one directly being spoken to. Typically the “o” prefix is written in hiragana. This is because it is considered to be a complicated character yet common in everyday usage. Hiragana allows people to instinctively understand this symbol as leaving it vague and misunderstood could change the meaning of a lot of words commonly used. An alternative way of reading this would be as go-. When the prefix is read as o-, hiragana is always the way to write it. This prefix is considered to be optional in use but the vast popularity of its usage has rendered some words unable to rid its usage. These words would lose their meaning without the use of this prefix. A good example of this would be the way of writing rice or gohan in Japanese, 御飯. Han, 飯, cannot be used alone and requires the accompaniment of the prefix to convey its meaning. Han can, however, be used as a component of other words such as suihan, 炊飯. When read alone, than is pronounced as meshi.
The usage of the o prefix greatly varies. This can be dependent on the relationship between the speakers, the situation where it will be said, and the sex of the speaker or listener. Those who prefer to speak in a polite manner often see more usage from this prefix. This is most common among women. More frank and blunt speech, typically seen from men, see less usage from this. In fact there are times when this prefix is not used at all as there is a way to go without this prefix even if it is required to convey the message. The Japanese language is very complex in the way that it can allow for the same word to be said in different ways to convey different personalities or emotions. There are some instances where the usage of this prefix denotes an impolite tone. One such example would be 御前, can be translated to you. This is often used in a derogatory manner as if shouting out at someone who bumped into you.
This prefix is most often read as お or “o.” This is the way to read this prefix when it is conjoined to a word that has a strong link to Japan or is of Japanese origin. As stated earlier this prefix can be pronounced as “go.” This is often done when the prefix is conjoined to a word that is notable Chinese in origin. A good example of this would be the word for husband, お電話. This is pronounced as goshujin. There are some exceptions to the rule and these are best learned by experience.
休み
This may also be written as やすみ in hiragana and is writen as yasumi in romaji. Yasumi is the last part of the first etymology of oyasumi. Yasumi is a noun and has five different meanings. It can be used to denote a rest or break from work. Usage of this can be seen in the following example. “束(つか)の間(ま)の休(やす)み” In romaji this reads as tsuka no ma no yasumi. This translates to taking a short rest. The second meaning behind yasumi would be that it is used to denote a holiday. Examples of this usage would be “彼(かれ)は旅行(りょこう)のために休(やす)みを取(と)った。.” In romaji this reads as Kare wa ryokō no tame ni yasumi o totta. This sentence translates to a man had taken a holiday off for his trip. The third definition of yasumi is absence. This can be used in terms of presence in a particular place such as work or school. Examples of this usage would be “その人(ひと)は今日(きょう)休(やす)みだった。.” In romaji this reads as Sono hito wa kyō yasumi datta. This combination of characters refers to a person being absent on this day. The fourth meaning of this word would be intermission. Examples of this usage would be “休(やす)みなく働(はたら)く。.” In romaji this reads as yasumi naku hataraku. This reads as working continuously without vacation/intermission. Last but not the least, Yasumi is also the term used for the period of rest that a silkwork undergoes right before it starts moulting.
The second origin of the work oyasumi would be from the combination of 連用形 and 休む. These are ren’yokei and yasumu, respectively.
連用形
This can be written down in two ways. In hiragana, it is written down as れんようけい and as ren’yokei in romaji. It is a noun and an inflectional category. In the world of grammar, an inflection is basically the way you change a word to express various different categories. These categories include, but are not limited to tense, voice, number, and mood.These are also called inflexion or accidence. In this particular case, the inflection of a noun is also referred to as declension. The ren’yokei is the conjunctive form of the inflection from which various endings may be added. Examples of the endings, called conjugational endings, are て, written as te in romaji, and ます, written as masu in romaji. As this is a form of grammar that is almost exclusive to the Japanese language, most translators often write it down using the closest available symbol or character available in the language used. When used in English, however, there have been multiple ways to describe this inflection. These were made by multiple authors and a consensus on the official translation has not been achieved. Ren’yokei can be translated as adverbial, base form, conjunctional, infinitive, or deverbal noun.
休む
This can be written down in two ways. In hiragana it is written down as やすむ and as yasumu in romaji. Yasumu is the last part of the second etymology of oyasumi. This time it is a verb and has four different meanings. It can be used to denote the taking of a short rest. Usage of this can be seen in the following example. “そこで休(やす)んだらどうだ。” In romaji, this reads as Soko de yasun dara dō da. This sentence is a question asking the listener “Why don’t you rest over there?” The second meaning behind the word yasumu would be that it is used to denote taking a nap or sleeping. A good example of the usage of this would be “彼(かれ)はもう休(やす)んでいる。” In romaji, this reads as Kare wa mō yasun de iru. This statement translates to He (a person not in the conversation) has already slept. The third meaning of the word yasumu would be that it is used to denote taking an absence from somewhere, typically school or work. A good example of the usage of this would be “彼女(かのじょ)は学校(がっこう)を休(やす)んだ。” In romaji, this reads as Kanojo wa gakkō o yasun da. This statement translates to “she(a person not in the conversation) has taken an absence from school.” The fourth and final meaning of the word yasumu would be that it is used to denote something stopping, becoming suspended, or a state of being dormant. A good example of the usage of this would be “あの工場(こうじょう)は操業(そうぎょう)を休(やす)んでいる。” In romaji, this reads as Ano kōjō wa sōgyō o yasun de iru. This translates to the factory has stopped its operations.
Oyasuminasai
Oyasuminai can be basically broken down into the usage of 御 + 休み + なさい. The first symbol is “o” and as discussed earlier it is an honorific prefix used to say that the word relates to the person the speaker is directly addressing. The second set of symbols refers to yasumi. As stated earlier it is a word that denotes resting, absence, or taking a holiday. It is the continuative of the verb yasumu. The last set of characters, なさい, is nasai. It is a polite way of saying something with authority. It comes from the verb nasaru, 為さる . Nasaru, in turn, is derived from suru. Using nasai in a command is a polite way of adding the feeling of a strong request behind it. A good example of this would be ここに名前(なまえ)を書(か)きなさい。. This can be written as Koko ni namae o kakinasai in romaji. This statement can be translated to “Write your name here.” The usage of the word adds strength to the command without adding any negative connotation. It makes a request stern. Nasai is a suffix and is attached to the ren’yokei of verbs. It is often considered to be a tad informal and is often used in events where a scolding takes place. An example of this would be よく聞(き)きなさい！ Which can be written in romaji as Yoku kikinasai! This can be translated to Listen to me! This is often said to a child or spouse who is misbehaving and is not listening to the mother of the household. Hopefully, you don’t get these sort of phrases pointed at you.
So basically Oyasuminasai can be understood as “Please do have a good rest/sleep.” Oyasumi is just a shortened version of oyasuminasai. While both do are not inherently more polite than the other, oyasuminasai is generally said more in a polite situation. Oyasumi is a great way to wish someone a good night's rest after a hard day's work. Try saying it next time to a friend or family member and maybe they might sleep better that night. It definitely feels good to hear someone wish you well. Most people would love to hear it anytime throughout the year, whether it be in the hot nights of July or during the cool winds of March.