大坂城
ōsaka-jō
osaka castle in Japanese is 大坂城 (ōsaka-jō).
The phrase refers to the historic castle located in Osaka, Japan.
What does it mean word for word?
The name is composed of the place name 'Osaka' (大坂) and the suffix 'jō' (城) meaning castle.
How does it change in a sentence?
The character 城 means "castle" and the suffix -jō (城) is attached to the name of a location to denote a castle located there. For example, adding の in a phrase like 大阪のお城 would indicate "of Osaka."
How do you pronounce it?
ōsaka-jō
Did you know?
- While 大坂城 is the name of the site, the towering main keep is specifically called the 天守閣 (tenshukaku), which literally translates to 'heavenly keep'.
- The word 城 ('castle') is a cognate with the Chinese word chéng, but in ancient Japanese, the term referred more to 'earthworks' or 'walls' than to the towering stone keeps that people associate with 大坂城 today.
- While 大阪 is the modern spelling of 'Osaka', the castle is often written as 大坂城 using a different character for 'saka'. The older character 坂 means 'slope', whereas the modern 阪 is a specialized variant used specifically for the city name.
Examples in context
- 大阪城に行きたいです。I would like to visit Osaka Castle.
- すみません、大阪城へはどう行けばいいですか？Excuse me, how can I get to Osaka Castle?
Example conversation
Two friends are planning their trip to Osaka.
- 陽葵 Himari大坂城はもう行きましたか？Ōsaka-jō wa mō ikimashita ka?Have you already been to Osaka Castle?
- 健太 Kentaいいえ、まだ行っていないよ。Iie, mada itte inai yo.No, I haven't been there yet.
- 陽葵 Himariじゃあ、一緒に大坂城へ行きましょう。Jaa, issho ni Ōsaka-jō e ikimashō.Then, let's go to Osaka Castle together.
- 健太 Kentaいいね。ぜひ行こう！Ii ne. Zehi ikō!That sounds good. Let's definitely go!
