Have you ever wondered what the word subarashii [素晴らしい] really means in Japanese? In this article, we will conduct a complete analysis of this word and understand its meanings, meme, etymology, history, phrases, synonyms, inflections, uses, and more.
The word subarashii can mean “wonderful; splendid; supreme; great; incredible; excellent; glorious; fantastic; magnificent; admirable“. Depending on the situation, it can also mean something like impressive, not bad, or cool.
It is an i-type adjective [い] that is composed of the kanji [素] which means elemental, principle, bare and uncovered, along with the ideogram [晴] which means clear. What the hell do these ideograms have to do with the word?
Various characters, especially some villains, tend to use this word at some point when they succeed in their schemes. One of the antagonists from Dragon Ball Super, Goku Black, often uses this word multiple times.
Table of Contents
Etymology and origin of subarashii
The word subarashii is originally derived from the verb subaru [窄る] which means to shrink or diminish. The word is formed with the addition of shii [しい] which is an adjective suffix. This adjective literally describes “that which makes a person shrink”.
The initial sense of the word was strongly negative (something like extreme and terrible), and this usage continued until the mid-1800s in the Edo Period, since when the meaning changed to a strong positive. Something similar happened in English with the word terrific.
The spelling of the kanji is an example of ateji [当て字], a word written with certain ideograms, but which currently has absolutely no relation to the meaning of the word or the original word [窄る].
Synonyms and related words
Sugoi [すごい] also means something like incredible, great, wonderful, magnificent. The word sugoi is more commonly used to tell your friend or people close to you and was also used with exclamation. On the other hand, subarashii is more formal and complete.
Another similar adjective is suteki [素敵] which means “charming; wonderful; pleasant; great; fantastic; excellent; nice“. The word also has an alternative way of being written [素晴しい], still has the [ら], but it is in the reading of the kanji.
We recommend reading the articles that talk about the word omoshiroi which means fun, interesting, and fascinating. Also the words ureshii and tanoshii which mean something fun, cheerful, and happy. Quite common and similar adjectives.
Some words opposite to subarashii are hidoi [ひどい] which means cruel; severe; unfair; kitanai [きたない] which means dirty; filthy; iyashii [いやしい] which means vulgar; coarse; rude; minikui [みにくい] which means ugly; unattractive; indecent.
Inflection and conjugation
The adverb of the adjective subarashii is subarashiku [素晴らしく] which means something like wonderfully; splendidly; magnificently. Below we will leave the possible inflections of the word subarashii for you to examine:
| Inflection | Japanese | Romaji |
| Imperfect (未然形) | 素晴らしかろ | subarashikaro |
| Continuous (連用形) | 素晴らしく | subarashiku |
| Terminal (終止形) | 素晴らしい | subarashii |
| Attributive (連体形) | 素晴らしい | subarashii |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | 素晴らしけれ | subarashikere |
| Imperative (命令形) | 素晴らしかれ | subarashikare |
| Informal negative | 素晴らしくない | subarashiku nai |
| Informal past | 素晴らしかった | subarashikatta |
| Informal negative past | 素晴らしくなかった | subarashiku nakatta |
| Formal | 素晴らしいです | subarashii desu |
| Formal negative | 素晴らしくないです | subarashiku nai desu |
| Formal past | 素晴らしかったです | subarashikatta desu |
| Formal negative past | 素晴らしくなかったです | subarashiku nakatta desu |
| Conjunctive | 素晴らしくて | subarashikute |
| Conditional | 素晴らしければ | subarashikereba |
| Provisional | 素晴らしかったら | subarashikattara |
| Volitional | 素晴らしかろう | subarashikarō |
| Adverbial | 素晴らしく | subarashiku |
| Degree | 素晴らしさ | subarashisa |
Example Sentences of Subarashii
あなたの成績はすばらしいです Anata no seiseki wa subarashīdesu Your grades are amazing
あれは素晴らしい作品ですね Are wa subarashī sakuhindesu ne That is a wonderful work
要するに、そのパーティーはすばらしかった。 Yōsuruni, sono pātī wa subarashikatta. In short, the party was great.
本当に素晴らしいですね。 Hontōni subarashīdesu ne. It's really wonderful.
富士山がすばらしい眺めだった。 Fujisan ga subarashī nagamedatta. Mount Fuji had a wonderful view.
彼女は素晴らしい女性だ Kanojo wa subarashī joseida She is a wonderful woman
彼はとてもすばらしいテニス選手です。 Kare wa totemo subarashī tenisu senshudesu. He is a very good tennis player.
すばらしい話をふたつ紹介します Subarashī hanashi o futatsu shōkai shimasu I can tell you two great stories.
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