Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 5: 5/20

各(かく)Each, Every, Respective, Various

Structure

各(かく) + Noun

Details

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About 各

One of the slightly more formal ways to say that something is happening 'each', or 'every' (A) in Japanese, is by using the prefix 各(かく). While there is no strict rule for when this prefix can be used, it is almost always seen before words of Chinese origin (kanji compounds), or katakana words.

Although this kanji is used to mark 'each', it is very rarely used to mark units of time. The most common/natural usage of 各(かく) is for identifying things that are part of a sequence. For example:

Each/Every stop, on a train line that has many stops.

Each/Every page, in a book that has many pages.

Each/Every floor, in a building that has many floors.

Each/Every house, in a street of many houses.

Fun Fact

This kanji is used in another word, 各々(おのおの), which also means 'each', but is primarily used for identifying people.

  • 弁当(べんとう)は各々(おのおの)で用意(ようい)してきてください。
    Please come prepared with your own lunch. (Each person should bring their own lunch)

Examples

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    各(かく)ファイルを各(かく)自(じ)アップロードする必要(ひつよう)がある。

    It is necessary to upload each file individually.

    このバスは各(かく)バス停(てい)に止(と)まります。

    This bus stops at each station.

    各(かく)自(じ)で弁当(べんとう)を持(も)ってきてください。

    Please bring your own respective bento (individually).

    この書類(しょるい)の各(かく)ページをプリントアウトしてください。

    Please print each page of this document.

    各(かく)部屋(へや)に冷房(れいぼう)がついている。

    Each room is equipped with air conditioning.

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各 – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (4 in total)

  • CrisH

    CrisH

    I’ve had this sentence come up, and I have a question:
    この旅館(りょかん)には日本(にほん) かく 地(ち)からお客(きゃく)さまが来(く)る。
    Is the 日本…地 bit a colloqualism? “Each earth of Japan”, or whatever it would exactly mean, certainly doesn’t seem like a direct translation.

  • nekoyama

    nekoyama

    各地 means something like “various places” or “every place”. Not literally “earth” but 地 as in 土地 or 地方.

    日本各地から could also be translated as from everywhere in Japan, from every corner of Japan, etc.

  • CrisH

    CrisH

    I wondered where you were getting this 各 from at first, but it’s the kanji for かく, isn’t it…
    That explains it, thanks.
    I think part of my wondering at the time had to do with the English translation, which I really should have included, but I think was along the lines of “from all over Japan”. I guess that wouldn’t be a direct translation anyway.

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