Hey there fellow netizens!

If you remember one of our previous lessons, I mentioned there are some words that we skip learning when studying a language as an adult. These are words that you would usually memorize as a child while learning about the world around you. So how about we enter a Ghibli-like setting and learn how the flowers bloom, how the sun rises, and how the grass grows?

日が昇る。
ひ　が　のぼる。
The sun rises.
Literally: 'Sun + が + to rise.'

Or

日が出る。
ひ　が　でる。
The sun rises. // The sun comes out (e.g. from behind clouds).
Literally: 'Sun + が + to come out.'

This is also where the word 'sunrise' comes from in Japanese:

日の出
ひので
Sunrise
Literally: 'The coming out of the sun'

Speaking of which, you have probably heard of:

朝日
あさひ
Morning sun
Literally: 'Morning + sun'

That's because they have a newspaper:

朝日新聞
あさひ　しんぶん
Asahi newspaper
Literally: 'Morning + sun + newspaper.'

...and a beer named after it:

アサヒ瓶ビール
あさひ　びん　びーる
Asahi bottled beer
Literally: 'Morning + sun + bottle + beer'

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Let's enjoy our beer while relaxing in the grass:

It's so quiet you can hear the grass growing...

草が生えている。
くさ　が　はえている。
The grass is growing.
Literally: 'Grass + が + growing.'

And then some birds start singing:

鳥が鳴く。
とり　が　なく。
The birds sing.
Literally: 'bird(s) + が + to sing'

Note: In Japanese the verb '鳴く/なく' is used to express that an animal is making a sound, be that a 'chirp,' a 'meow,' a 'woof,' or whatever. Also, this verb is a homonym with 'to cry' （泣く/なく）. So you have:

蛙が鳴いている。
かえる　が　ないている。
The frog is croaking.
Literally: 'Frog + が + croaking'

And

子供が泣いている。
こども　が　ないている。
The child is crying.
Literally: 'Child + が + crying'

But speaking of birds, do you know how they hatch?

ひよこが孵る。
ひよこ　が　かえる。
The chicks hatch.
Literally: 'Chicks + が + to hatch'.

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Let's see, what else... I think you already know this one:

花が咲く。
はな　が　さく。
The flowers bloom.
Literally: 'Flowers + が + to bloom.'

Also when the seasons change, the leaves start falling...

花が散る。
はな　が　ちる。
The leaves fall.
Literally: 'Leaves + が + fall'

Note: The verb '散る' tends to only be used with flowers and leaves that fall/scatter. If, for example, a book happens to fall down, you use the well-known '落ちる/おちる/to fall', so make sure not to mix them up.

So how about the weather then?

Well, if it gets cloudy, we say:

曇ってる。
くもってる。
It's cloudy.
Literally: 'is being cloudy.'
Note: It's common to remove the い from 曇っている in spoken language.

And when the clouds begin to clear and it's sunny again, we say:

晴れてる。
はれてる。
It's clear out.
Literally: 'is being clear'
Note: It's common to remove the い from 晴れている in spoken language.

Now, after a long day, we can sit back and enjoy the sunset:

日が暮れる。
ひ　が　くれる。
The sun sets.
Literally: 'Sun + が + to set'

Another way of saying it is:

日が沈む。
ひ　が　しずむ。
The sun sets.
Literally: 'Sun + が + to sink'

Well, I hope you learned some valuable Japanese 'childhood knowledge'.

I would recommend picking up the Japanese version of your favorite fairy-tales; it would definitely help with remembering such words. Have fun reading, and see you next time!

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This lesson was written by Adriana, a guest contributor.