君が代 — Japan’s National Anthem

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“This illustration was created with the assistance of ChatGPT.”


君が代 — Japan’s National Anthem

Kimigayo (君が代) is the national anthem of Japan.
The lyrics come from a classical waka poem dating back over 1,000 years to the Heian period. It is one of the shortest national anthems in the world and is written in classical Japanese.

📜 Japanese Lyrics

君が代は
千代に八千代に
さざれ石の
いわおとなりて
こけのむすまで

Romanization:

Kimi ga yo wa
Chiyo ni yachiyo ni
Sazare-ishi no
Iwao to narite
Koke no musu made

🔎 Word & Phrase Breakdown

Below is a detailed explanation in the requested format:

君 (きみ / kimi) :

you / lord (historically referring to the Emperor)

が (が / ga) :

possessive particle (“of”)

代 (よ / yo) :

reign / era / generation

は (は / wa) :

topic marker (“as for”)

👉 君が代は (きみがよは / kimi ga yo wa) :
“As for your reign” / “May your reign…”

千代 (ちよ / chiyo) :

a thousand generations / a thousand years

に (に / ni) :

for / through / into (indicating duration)

八千代 (やちよ / yachiyo) :

eight thousand generations (symbolic of countless years)

👉 千代に八千代に (ちよにやちよに / chiyo ni yachiyo ni) :
“For a thousand, even eight thousand generations”
→ meaning “For thousands upon thousands of years”

さざれ石 (さざれいし / sazare-ishi) :

small stones / tiny pebbles

の (の / no) :

possessive particle (“of”)

👉 さざれ石の (さざれいしの / sazare-ishi no) :
“Of small pebbles”

いわお (いわお / iwao) :

a large rock / massive boulder

と (と / to) :

into / becoming

なりて (なりて / narite) :

becoming (classical form of なる / naru)

👉 いわおとなりて (いわおとなりて / iwao to narite) :
“Becoming a great rock”

こけ (こけ / koke) :

moss

の (の / no) :

of

むす (むす / musu) :

to grow (classical verb)

まで (まで / made) :

until

👉 こけのむすまで (こけのむすまで / koke no musu made) :
“Until moss grows”

🌿 Overall Meaning in Natural English

“May your reign continue
For thousands and thousands of years,
Until tiny pebbles grow into great boulders
And are covered with moss.”

🏯 Cultural & Historical Notes

  • The lyrics originate from an ancient waka poem found in the Kokin Wakashū (10th century).

  • The imagery of stones becoming boulders symbolizes slow, steady growth over immense time.

  • Moss growing on rock represents great age and enduring stability.

  • In modern Japan, interpretations of “君 (kimi)” often extend beyond the Emperor to symbolize the nation and its people.




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