Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
The suffix ~さ (sa) is attached to the stem of adjectives to convert them into nouns, indicating a degree, quality, or objective measure.
🎯 Primary Function
Nominalization (turning adjectives into nouns).
📋 Grammar Structure
Noun-forming suffix used primarily with adjectives, not directly with verbs.
Remove ～い + さ (e.g., 高い → 高さ)
Remove ～な + さ (e.g., 便利［な］ → 便利さ)
～くない → ～くなさ (e.g., よくない → よくならさ – though rare, used to express lack of quality)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used in reports, news, and academic writing to state facts or measurements.
Informal Situations
Used to discuss feelings, the “degree” of something, or common traits in daily talk.
Written Language
Essential for descriptions and expressing abstract nouns.
Spoken Language
Commonly used to emphasize how much of a quality something has.
💡 Common Applications
Measuring objective values
Used to describe physical properties that can often be measured numerically.
Example: 長さ (Length), 重さ (Weight), 高さ (Height)
Expressing abstract qualities
Used to turn emotions or abstract concepts into subjects or objects of a sentence.
Example: 大切さ (Importance), 優しさ (Kindness), 美しさ (Beauty)
Frequency
Very High
Difficulty
JLPT N4
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Example Sentences
Example #1
この山の高さはどれくらいですか？
Furigana: こ（の）やま（の）たか（さ）は（ど）れくらいですか？
Romaji: Kono yama no takasa wa dore kurai desu ka?
English: Do you know the height of this mountain?
Example #2
富士山の美しさに感動しました。
Furigana: ふじさん（の）うつく（しさ）にかんどう（しました）。
Romaji: Fujisan no utsukushisa ni kandou shimashita.
English: I was deeply moved by the beauty of Mt. Fuji.
Example #3
このスーツケースの重さはちょうど20キロです。
Furigana: こ（の）スーツケース（の）おも（さ）はちょうどにじゅうキロです。
Romaji: Kono suutsukeesu no omosa wa choudo nijuu kiro desu.
English: The weight of this suitcase is exactly 20 kilograms.
Example #4
彼はその優しさから、みんなに好かれています。
Furigana: かれ（は）そのやさ（しさ）から、みんな（に）す（かれています）。
Romaji: Kare wa sono yasashisa kara, minna ni sukarete imasu.
English: He is a person liked by everyone because of his kindness.
Example #5
この仕事では、速さより正確さが大事です。
Furigana: こ（の）しごと（では）、はや（さ）よりせいかく（さが）だいじ（です）。
Romaji: Kono shigoto dewa, hayasa yori seikakusa ga daiji desu.
English: In this job, accuracy is more important than speed.
Example #6
新しいスマートフォンの便利さに驚きました。
Furigana: あたら（しい）スマートフォンのべんり（さに）おどろ（きました）。
Romaji: Atarashii sumaatofon no benrisa ni odorokimashita.
English: I was surprised by the convenience of the new smartphone.
Example #7
平和の大切さをたくさんの人に伝えたいです。
Furigana: へいわ（の）たいせつ（さを）たく（さんの）ひと（に）つた（えたいです）。
Romaji: Heiwa no taisetsusa wo takusan no hito ni tsutaetai desu.
English: I want to tell many people about the importance of peace.
Example #8
この橋の長さは約500メートルです。
Furigana: こ（の）はし（の）なが（さは）やくごひゃくメートルです。
Romaji: Kono hashi no nagasa wa yaku gohyaku meetoru desu.
English: The length of this bridge is about 500 meters.
Example #9
病気の時、健康のありがたさを感じます。
Furigana: びょうき（の）とき、けんこう（の）ありがた（さを）かん（じます）。
Romaji: Byouki no toki, kenkou no arigatasa wo kanjimasu.
English: When you are sick, you realize the value (blessing) of health.
Example #10
引越し前に部屋の広さを確かめてください。
Furigana: ひっこ（し）まえ（に）へや（の）ひろ（さを）たし（かめてください）。
Romaji: Hikkoshi mae ni heya no hirosa wo tashikamete kudasai.
English: Please check the size (spaciousness) of the room before moving.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Degree and Measurement
‘~sa’ focus on the ‘degree’ of the adjective.
Example: このテストの難しさは普通です。 (The difficulty of this test is average.)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 高いさ (Takaisa)
✅ 高さ (Takasa)
You must drop the final ‘i’ before adding ‘sa’.
❌ 便利なさ (Benrinasa) or 便利ださ (Benridasa)
✅ 便利さ (Benrisa)
For na-adjectives, do not include ‘na’ or ‘da’ before ‘sa’.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral. It can be used in both polite and casual speech.
Social Situations: Commonly used when comparing attributes or expressing appreciation for someone’s traits.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese uses ‘sa’ for nominalization across all regions.
🔍 Subtle Differences
~さ (sa) vs ~み (mi)
‘~sa’ is objective and focuses on degree/measurement. ‘~mi’ is subjective and focuses on feeling/flavor.
When to use: Use ‘~sa’ for height, weight, or general qualities. Use ‘~mi’ for things like ‘warmth’ (atatakami) or ‘depth of flavor’ (umami).
📝 Conjugation Notes
Irregular: いい (Good) becomes よさ (Yosa), not いさ.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The ‘sa’ is usually unaccented or follows the pitch of the adjective stem.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of ‘~sa’ as the Japanese equivalent of the English suffixes ‘-ness’ (kindness), ‘-ity’ (purity), or ‘-th’ (depth/width).
Other Grammar
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