大切にする
taisetsu ni suru
To cherish in Japanese is 大切にする (taisetsu ni suru).
大切にする is used to express cherishing both people (treating them with care) and for cherishing inanimate objects (treating them with care/valuing them).
Meaning: to have a deep appreciation of (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 大切 (taisetsu), meaning 'important' or 'precious' and にする (ni suru), meaning 'to make' or 'to treat as'. Literally, it means 'to do (something) as important'.
How do you pronounce it?
taisetsu ni suru
Did you know?
- In Japan, the spirit of 大切にする is seen in 'Kintsugi', the art of repairing broken pottery with gold. Rather than replacing a broken item, the repair cherishes the object's history and its scars.
- In Japanese, the concept of cherishing nature is often expressed through 愛でる (mederu), a word that specifically means to cherish something by gazing at its beauty, such as cherry blossoms.
- The phrase 大切にする can be used to describe 'cherishing' a secret or a promise. In these cases, it means to keep the information safe and not let it leak to others.
Examples in context
- 思い出を大切にする。omoide o taisetsu ni suru.Cherish the memories.
- この贈り物を大切にするね。kono okurimono o taisetsu ni suru ne.I will cherish this gift.
Example conversation
Misaki gives a handmade card to Hiroto.
- 美咲 Misakiこれ、手作りなんだ。大切にしてね。kore, tedukuri nan da. taisetsu ni shite ne.I made this by hand. Please cherish it.
- 大翔 Hirotoありがとう。本当に大切にするよ。arigatou. hontou ni taisetsu ni suru yo.Thank you. I will really cherish it.
- 美咲 Misaki嬉しい。ずっと持っていてほしいな。ureshii. zutto motte ite hoshii na.I'm happy. I want you to keep it forever.
- 大翔 Hirotoもちろんだよ。美咲の気持ち、大切にするね。mochiron da yo. Misaki no kimochi, taisetsu ni suru ne.Of course. I will cherish your feelings, Misaki.
