Some Japanese nouns have a plural form in which their sound is doubled using the repeater symbol 々. For example, the term 木々 is the plural form of 木 and is used to refer to multiple trees or a collection of trees.
The trees lined up horizontally are beautiful. | 横 に 並んだ 木々 が 美しい です。yoko ni naranda kigi ga utsukushii desu. |
The doubling of the sound emphasizes plurality and is a common linguistic feature in Japanese to indicate a collective or plural form of certain nouns, especially in the case of nature-related terms like trees, flowers, etc.
This method of indicating plurality is not uniformly applicable to all nouns in Japanese, as the language generally does not distinguish between singular and plural in the same way as English. However, for some words, especially those related to natural elements or items that commonly occur in groups, this doubling expresses the concept of multiplicity or abundance.
The people of this town are very kind. | この 町 の 人々 は とても 親切 です。kono machi no hitobito wa totemo shinsetsu desu. |
She arranged flowers by the window. | 彼女 は 窓辺 に 花々 を 並べました。kanojo wa madobe ni hanabana o narabemashita. |