The Suffix み (mi) in Japanese

The suffix み (mi) in Japanese

This time the suffix is one often confused with “さ”, namely “み”.

1.The biggest difference between “み” and “さ” is that “み” is not used with Sino-Japanese or loanwords the way “さ” is. For words about the senses (知覚) み is not used either, but among the attribute adjectives of the senses there is a group called colour attribute adjectives 色彩を表す属性形容詞(しきさいをあらわすぞくせいけいようし), and those may be used with “み”.

Examples: things and substances that carry a colour. The “み” in these cases can be written with the kanji “身” or “味”, both read “み”.
– 黄み、黄色み、黄身: (卵の黄み:たまごのきみ: the yellow of an egg).
– 白み(材木の白い部分:ざいもくのしろいぶぶん: the white parts of timber), 卵白(らんぱく: egg white), 白身(魚類の白い肉:ぎょるいのしろいにく: the white flesh of fish).
-赤み(顔に赤みがさく: to flush).

2. Used when you want to express something metaphorically (比喩的に:ひゆてきに)
Examples:
深みのある人( ふかみのあるひと: a person of deep understanding)
臭みのある文章(くさみのあるぶんしょう: a passage with a bad smell to it).
甘みのあるスープ(あまみのあるスープ: a soup with a sweetness to it)

3.Verbs ending in “む” almost all take the suffix “み” when nominalised.
Examples:
楽しむ(楽しみ: 毎日の楽しみ)
悲しむ(悲しみ:心の悲しみ)
痛む(痛み:胸の痛み)
進む(進み:技術の進み)
妬む(妬み:女の妬み)
悩む(悩み:悩みの種)
However, not every “い” adjective nominalised with the suffix “み” implies a verb ending in “む”.

Example: from the two adjectives ” 可笑しい(おかしい)” and “面白い(おもしろい), we get the two み-nominalisations 可笑しみ and 面白み, yet there are no verbs 可笑しむ or 面白む. So all we can do as learners is try to remember them:)

Besides the verbs above, here are more verbs that take “み” when nominalised (look up the meanings in a dictionary yourself)
否む(いなむ), 怨む(うらむ), 噛む(かむ), 噤む(つぐむ), 組む(くむ), 萎む(しぼむ), 巧む(たくむ), 企む(たくらむ), 畳む(たたむ), 佇む(たたずむ), 縮む(ちぢむ), 因む(ちなむ), 包む(つつむ), 励む(はげむ), 育む(はぐくむ), 挟む(はさむ), 僻む(ひがむ), 含む(ふくむ), 恵む(めぐむ), 休む(やすむ), 読む(よむ), 力む(りきむ), 目論む(もくろむ).

Conclusion:
“さ” is used for degree, state and quantity, so in translation it carries the sense of a measure or degree. “み”, on the other hand, basically goes with metaphorical nouns, so it is usually rendered as a taste (sweet, salty), a pain, a sorrow, a joy, a quality (depth, strength, softness),… leaning towards feeling and sensation.

Example: you say 10キロの重さ, but not 10キロの重み. Likewise それぐらいの深さ, not それぐらいの深み. Because it refers to quantity and degree.

But you can say:
深みのある話(a story with depth),
強みのある人( a person with a strength in….).