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【No. 2170】Iwazu Mogana (言わずもがな - Needless to Say)

Sep 30, 2023 14:10
Iwazu Mogana

When describing a situation where "something should not be said" or "something is needless to say," you can use the Japanese phrase, iwazu mogana (言わずもがな).

Since iwa/iu (言う) means "to say," zu (ず) is a negative suffix, and mogana (もがな) is a suffix expressing a wish, the literal meaning of iwazu mogana is "I wish it would not be said."

This expression, especially the mogana part, is old-fashioned and may not be commonly used by young people.

I personally like the traditional Japanese sounds that iwazu mogana has, so I would like to use it well.
言わずもがな

「言うまでもない」ことや、「言わないほうが良い」ことを表すとき、「言わずもがな」と言うことがあります。

「言わ/言う」は "to say"、「ず」は否定の接尾辞、「もがな」は願望を表す終助詞のため、「言わずもがな」の文字どおりの意味は "I wish it would not be said" となります。

この表現、特に「もがな」の部分は古い言い回しであり、若者はあまり使わないかもしれません。

私は「言わずもがな」という大和言葉の古風な響きが好きなので、積極的に使っていきたいと思っています。

Corrections (1)

No. 1 O-Star
  • Iwazu Mogana (言わずもがな - Needless to Say)
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Iwazu Mogana
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • When describing a situation where "something should not be said" or "something is needless to say," you can use the Japanese phrase, 'iwazu mogana' (言わずもがな).
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Since 'iwa/iu' (言う) means "to say," 'zu' (ず) is a negative suffix, and 'mogana' (もがな) is a suffix expressing a wish, the literal meaning of 'iwazu mogana' is "I wish it would not be said."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • This expression, especially the 'mogana' part, is old-fashioned and may not be commonly used by young people.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • I personally like the traditional Japanese sounds that 'iwazu mogana' has, so I would like to use it well.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
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