Japanese Language

Learning Japanese can be a challenge for English speakers due to several factors, including the writing system, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.

However, there are many benefits English speakers will notice, too!

The post-beginner to pre-intermediate stages of Japanese language learning is hands down the most difficult part of the process.

Despite looking intimidating, learning the most used Japanese script, or alphabet; hiragana, actually takes a lot less time than you might think, even if you only know English.

In fact, as a native English speaker who only knew English, I was able to come to grips with it in under a few hours.

It’s when you hit the post beginner stage when things start to become challenging, mainly because of grammar.

However, once you develop a basic understanding of how the Japanese language works, the intermediate stages and beyond become a lot easier.

So with that said, let’s take a look at precisely how hard learning Japanese is for English speakers!

Why the Japanese Alphabet is Hard For English Speakers

One of the most significant challenges when learning Japanese is the writing system.

Unlike the English writing system which uses a single alphabet with 26 letters, the Japanese writing system consists of three different writing systems, Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.

Learning all three writing systems can seem overwhelming, especially since kanji has thousands of characters.

However, the three alphabets do flow together very well.

Getting the hang of how the Japanese writing system works can take some time as an English speaker.

Yet, you’ll soon realise how hiragana, katakana and kanji work together.

Master hiragana first, it won’t take much time at all.

Japanese Pronunciation For English Speakers

Japanese pronunciation can be challenging for English speakers because of how different it can be from English.

Particularly, Japanese has five vowel sounds, which are pronounced differently than in English.

Take a listen how you pronounce the vowels in Japanese!

A/あ:

E/え:

U/う:

I/い:

O/お:

Additionally, there are many Japanese sounds that don’t exist in English, such as the “tsu” sound.

I strongly recommend taking a look at Dogen’s videos on YouTube.

He goes over in depth the differences between English and Japanese pronunciation/pitch accent.

He also covers the most common mistakes English speakers make when learning Japanese that make them sound unnatural.

Intonation Can be a Challenge For English Natives

Japanese has a unique pitch accent system that can pose a challenge to English speakers.

The pitch accent system involves placing emphasis on specific syllables in a word to change its meaning.

For example, the word “hashi” can mean “bridge” or “chopsticks,” depending on the pitch of the syllables.

The first syllable has a high pitch, while the second syllable has a low pitch when it means “bridge”.

In contrast, the second syllable has a high pitch when it means “chopsticks.”

Japanese pronunciation is also characterised by the use of consonant clusters and the elongation of vowels.

Again, take a look at Dogen on YouTube who covers this topic in immense detail.

How Hard is Japanese Grammar For English Speakers?

One of the most difficult aspects of Japanese learning for English speakers is without a doubt, the grammar.

Japanese vs English Sentence Structure

Let’s begin with sentence structure. In English, we typically use subject-verb-object word order, such as “I eat sushi.”

In Japanese, however, the word order is typically subject-object-verb, such as “I sushi eat.”

This can take some getting used to for English speakers, but it becomes more natural with practice.

Japanese & English Verb Tenses

In English, we have a wide variety of verb tenses to convey different meanings, such as past, present, and future.

In Japanese, however, there are only two verb tenses: present/future and past.

Instead of relying on verb tenses to convey time, Japanese uses context and particles (small words that indicate the function of a word in a sentence) to convey the time frame of an action.

Particles

Speaking of particles, they are a key part of Japanese grammar and can take some time to master.

Particles are small words that attach to other words to indicate their grammatical function in a sentence.

For example, the particle “は” (wa) is used to indicate the subject of a sentence, while the particle “を” (wo) is used to indicate the object.

There are many different particles used in Japanese, each with their own unique function.

Japanese Pronouns

In English, we use pronouns such as “I,” “you,” and “they” to refer to people and things.

In Japanese, however, pronouns are often omitted and instead the person or thing being referred to is indicated by the context of the sentence.

For example, instead of saying “I am going to the store”, in Japanese you might say ” 買い物に行きます (kaimono ni ikimasu), meaning “I go to the store”, with the context indicating that the speaker is the one going to the store.

This may take some getting used to for English speakers, but after some practice, it actually feels very logical and natural.

This does mean though that most of the time when you wish to call out to, or address someone in Japanese, you will need to use their name!

The Japanese language does have words for “you”, however they are extremely nuanced words. You should definitely be careful with using words such as “anata”, which is the most common term that dictionaries will show you.

This is because this is a word that is often used when speaking to your significant other.

Verb Endings

In Japanese, verbs often end in a variety of endings depending on the function of the verb in the sentence.

For example, the endingます (-masu) is used to indicate a polite form of a verb, such as 食べます (tabemasu) meaning “to eat”.

Verbs ending with ている (teiru) is used to indicate the “-ing” form of a verb, such as 食べている (tabeteiru), meaning “eating”.

Remembering how verbs conjugate can take some getting used to for English speakers, but with practice, it becomes easier to understand.

The Forms!

While there are only two tenses in Japanese, there are a lot of different forms.

The te-form is one of the first you will learn. Once you’ve got the general gist of how the forms work down, Japanese grammar becomes significantly easier to digest in my experience.

Here are some examples:

• The passive form.
• The conditional form which is used to express “if” statements in Japanese.
• The causative form which is used to indicate that someone is causing something to happen.
• The te-form is used to indicate a sequence of actions, to connect clauses, to make requests, and more.
• The potential form is used to indicate the ability to do something.
• The conditional perfect form is used to express hypothetical situations that could have happened in the past.
• Honorific forms of verbs.

How Hard is Japanese Vocabulary For English Speakers?

Japanese vocabulary can be challenging for English speakers because some words may not be easily rendered into English.

Japanese has many words that don’t have an English equivalent, such as もったいない (mottainai), which means something along the lines of “a sense of regret concerning waste.”

Another common one is よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu).

I’ve written an extensive article on this phrase before, but the number of cultural nuances in this word is incredible.

IT has many intertwined meanings. Therefore, you can use this phrase to say anything along the lines of:

• nice to meet you.
• please do.
• best regards.

Understanding Japanese Words and Meanings

There are a lot of words in Japanese that, when put in the dictionary, will give the same English definition. I’ve mentioned this earlier using the Japanese word for “heart” as an example, but it goes beyond this, too.

Saying “why” in Japanese is another instance.

Unlike in English, there are multiple words for “why” in Japanese, each with their own nuances and uses.

Remembering and becoming familiar with them all can be a challenge for some.

Japanese Honorifics Can Be Difficult!

So, Is Japanese Hard to Learn for English Speakers?

Learning the Japanese language gets easier the more you progress your ability. In my opinion, Japanese language learning at the beginner stage is when it’s the hardest.

As you become more proficient at the language and break into the intermediate levels, you will notice that a lot of Japanese grammar is just a repeat of “form conjugation + grammar point”.

With that said, as an English speaker, your biggest advantage will be with understanding katakana, and your biggest disadvantage will be with kanji and wrapping your head around the sentence structure which is often very different to English.

There are surprisingly many ways to say “and” in Japanese.

Which one you require will depend on what you are linking.

Depending on whether you are connecting nouns, verbs, nouns, clauses, or sentences, you will require a different Japanese word to convey “and.”

There is not a generic single word for “and” in Japanese that can be used for all situations.

With that said, one of the simplest ways to say “and” in Japanese is with と (to).

Use と (to) to connect a number of nouns together.

Simply insert と (to) in between two nouns to connect them.

• Cats and dogs.
  猫と犬。
  neko to inu. 

You can increase the number of items by inserting と (to) in between each noun.

• Red and blue and green.
  赤と青と緑。
  aka to ao to midori. 

The way you connect verbs, adjectives, clauses and sentences with “and” in Japanese are all different from each other.

This ultimate guide lists and explains all the ways to say “and” in Japanese.

The content in this guide is tailored for both beginners and intermediate learners alike.

All entries are coupled with multiple examples to illustrate each use of “and”. Audio has been provided for a reference on pronunciation!

And in Japanese: Linking Nouns With と (to)

• [noun] and [noun].
  [noun] と [noun]。
  [noun] to [noun]. 

The easiest way to connect two things together in Japanese is with と (to).

You can insert と (to) in between two nouns to connect them. You cannot connect adjectives, verbs, clauses etc using と (to).

Linking two nouns together with と (to) essentially connects them together as pairs.

• ケーキとアイスクリームが好き.
  ke-ki to aisukuri-mu ga suki.
  I like cake and ice cream.

In the above example, と  (to)  functions the same as “and” does in English. と (to) comes between the words “cake” and “ice cream”, to signify them as being related.

The relationship these two connected words share is, in this case, explained as being the two objects that a person likes.

と (to) to say “and” in Japanese Examples

• 彼と彼女は付き合ってる。
  kare to kanajo wa sukiatteru.
  He and she are dating.

Related: How to say I Like You in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

You can continue to extend the list of related nouns as necessary. However, と (to) is generally used to link only a fixed number of items.

• 日本とカナダとアメリカに行きたい。
  nihon to kanada to amerika ni ikitai.
  I want to go to Japan and Canada and America.

In Japanese, you can use と (to) to expand a list of connected nouns.

As the example illustrates, continuously connecting nouns together with と (to) can become repetitive.

It’s very similar to if you were to connect multiple items together using “and” in English. Therefore it’s generally more natural to refrain from listing a massive number of nouns.

As a quick side note, Japanese nouns don’t require any preceding articles such as “a” or “the” like in English.

To say you went to the mountains and the beach for summer you can simply say:

• 山とビーチに行った。
  yama to bi-chi ni itta.
  I went to the mountains and the beach.

In these examples, Japanese is very simple. You do not need any “the” before the words “mountains” and “beach”, as you would in English.

Furthermore, you do not need to use pronouns either! This is because it’s much more natural to omit pronouns when speaking Japanese.

Therefore, specifying that you, the speaker, went to the mountains and beach with “I” is unnecessary.

The literal translation of the above example would be “went to mountains and beach”, however it’s understood as “I went to the mountains and the beach” in Japanese.

Listing Items with “and” in Japanese

There are a few occasions when listing consecutive nouns using と (to) in Japanese is necessary.

• LサイズとMサイズとSサイズとどれがいいですか。
  L saizu to M saizu to S saizu to dore ga ii desu ka.
  Which would you like? The large size, the medium size, or the small size?

You can use と (to) to list items like the above example. Using と (to) like so functions similarly to how we list related items using commas in English.

When you present a list of options to choose from, use と (to) to separate them.

In this case, the final と (to) functions similarly to how we use “or” in English. However, as you are still presenting a list of related items, you connected them with と (to).

There are many ways to say “or” in Japanese which are detailed and explained in the ultimate guide below.

Related: How to say Or in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

Linking Nouns With や (ya)

• [noun] and [noun].
  [noun] や [noun]。
  [noun] ya [noun]. 

Connecting nouns with や (ya) is another way to say “and” in Japanese.

Insert や (ya) in between two nouns to list them.

Similarly to と (to), や (ya) is also used only with nouns. や (ya) cannot be used with adjectives, verbs and clauses etc.

However, while と (to) is used to list a fixed number of items, や (ya) indicates a non-exhaustive list of similar nouns.

In short, use や (ya) to connect multiple nouns together in a list. Using や (ya) implies that there are more items in the list that you have not mentioned.

や (ya) to say “and” in Japanese Examples

や (ya) adds the nuance of “and so on…” or “…and that” to the end of sentences. For instance:

• リンゴやバナナが好きです。
  ringo ya banana ga suki desu.
  I like apples and bananas (among other things).

In the above example, や (ya) connects two nouns (apples and bananas) together in a list. や (ya) also implies that there is a variable or unknown length to the list.

Therefore when you use や (ya), you’re implying that the nouns you’ve listed are not final. There are more related nouns that are unsaid.

Sometimes や (ya) is paired with など (nad0), a word that means “etc” in Japanese.

など (nad0) typically comes after the last noun in the list, similar to English.

• 今朝、卵やベーコンなどを食べた。
  kesa, tamago ya be-kon nado wo tabeta.
  This morning, I ate eggs and bacon etc.

In the above example, など (nado), meaning “etc” is inserted after the final noun (bacon) in the list.

Linking Nouns With も (mo)

• [noun] and  also [noun].
  [noun] も [noun]。
  [noun] mo [noun]. 

You can also link nouns together with も (mo) to say “and” in Japanese.

The biggest difference between も (mo) vs と (to) and や (ya), explained above, is that も (mo) is analogous to meaning “and also” in English.

In other words, use も (mo) when making a further addition to a statement. Directly translated, も (mo) means “also” in Japanese.

も (mo) to say “and” in Japanese Examples

• 猫も犬もが好き。
  neko mo inu mo suki.
  I like both cats and dogs.

An easy way to remember how to use も (mo) when saying “and” in Japanese is to think of the first も (mo) as meaning “both” and the second one as meaning “and”.

• ピザもアイスクリームも食べたい。
  piza mo aisukuri-mu mo tabetai.
  I want to eat both pizza and ice cream.

も (mo) emphasises that both nouns in the statement are of equal importance. 

Not one of the nouns is perceived to be of higher significance than the other.

You can also use a single も (mo) in a sentence when you want to say “also” in Japanese.

For instance:

• 私もわからない。
  watashi mo wakarani.
  I also have no idea.

A single も (mo) indicates that something is in the same situation.

In the above example specifically, も (mo) indicates that the speaker has no idea, in addition to someone else who may have previously expressed their uncertainty before.

Related: How to say I Don’t Know in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

And in Japanese: Linking Verbs With Te-Form

To link verbs with “and” in Japanese, you need to conjugate them into the grammatical structure called the te-form.

Japanese sentences typically end with the verb. The te-form allows one to bypass that rule and connect a verb to another.

In short, the te-form is necessary to connect simultaneous actions together.

Te-form conjugated verbs typically end in て (te) or で (de), hence the name, the te-form.

Te-Form to say “and” in Japanese Explanation

As a preliminary example:

• 朝ごはんを食べて学校に行った。
  asagohan wo tabete, gakkou ni itta.
  I ate breakfast and went to school.

The te-form connects verbs into a sequence that usually follows an order. 

Using the above example, the action that comes first is “ate breakfast”. Although in this example it may seem obvious which order something is done in, in other cases it may not.

For instance:

• 本を読んで映画を見た。
  hon wo yonde eiga wo mita.
  I read a book and then watched a movie.

The sequence in which actions or events take place is clarified by the te-form.

Therefore we can say with 100% certainty that this person read a book before watching the movie.

Hence, the te-form functions similarly to how “and then” does in English.

How To Make the Te-Form

Each verb in Japanese is conjugated differently.

There are three different ways to conjugate verbs. Therefore they are separated into three groups, corresponding to their different conjugational rules.

These three are:

1. Group 1 (godan verbs).
2. Group 2 (ichidan verbs).
3. Group 3 (irregular verbs).

Group 1 (Godan Verbs)

Verbs in group 1 (godan verbs) are conjugated in different ways. Here are the rules on how it works.

Replace the final kana of each verb with its te-form conjugation.

Verbs categorised in group 1 that have their final hiragana as う (u), つ (tsu) or る (ru) when in the dictionary form will always become って (tte) when conjugated into the te-form.

The te-form of the verb 会う (au), meaning “to meet” is:

• 会う – 会う – 会って

Verbs that have their final hiragana as む (mu), ぶ (bu) or ぬ (nu) when in the dictionary form will always become んで (nde) when conjugated into the te-form.

The te-form of the verb 読む (yomu), meaning “to read” is:

• 読む – 読む – 読んで

Verbs that have their final hiragana as す (su) when in the dictionary form will always become して (shte) when conjugated into the te-form.

The te-form of the verb 話す (hanasu), meaning “to speak” is:

• 話す– 話す – 話して

Verbs that have their final hiragana as く (ku) when in the dictionary form will always become いて (ite) when conjugated into the te-form.

The te-form of the verb 聞く (kiku), meaning “to listen” is:

• 聞く– 聞く – 聞いて

Verbs that have their final hiragana as ぐ (gu) when in the dictionary form will always become いで (ide) when conjugated into the te-form.

The te-form of the verb 泳ぐ (oyogu), meaning “to swim” is:

• 泳ぐ – 泳ぐ – 泳いで

Group 2 (Ichidan Verbs)

Verbs categorised as group 2 (ichidan verbs) are the easiest to conjugate. All of these verbs end in る (ru).

However, be careful not to assume that just because a verb ends in る (ru) it’s classified as group 2! It may still fall into the group 1 category.

For help on conjugating Japanese words and what category a verb falls into I highly recommend this site.

To conjugate a group 2 verb, replace the final る (ru) with て (te).

The te-form of the verb 食べる (taberu), meaning “to eat” is:

• 食べる – 食べる – 食べて

Group 3 (Irregular Verbs)

Verbs in the group 3 category are classified as irregular verbs. These verbs do not follow any pattern and thus are a little more difficult to learn and remember.

There are three very important verbs to remember. Here are the special rules:

The verb 行く (iku), meaning “to go” is the first of these irregular verbs.

The te-form of this verb is:

• 行く– 行く – 行って

The second irregular verb is 来る (kuru), meaning “to come” in Japanese.

The te-form of this verb is：

• 来る – 来る – 来て

来る (kuru) is a tricky conjugation that will catch many beginners off guard. This is because when 来る (kuru) is conjugated into the te-f0rm the reading changes too.

Writing the word in kanji (as I have above) actually disguises this change.

The reading of 来る (kuru) changes from くる (kuru) to きて (kite) when made into the te-form.

The third irregular verb is する (suru), which means “to do” in Japanese. When する (suru) is conjugated into the te-form, the entire word changes.

The te-form of this verb is:

• する – する – して

Te-Form to say “and” in Japanese Examples

We use the te-form to connect a verb to another word with “and” in Japanese.

The verb that follows “and” in the sequence needs to be changed into the te-form.

Remember that linking verbs with the te-form indicates a sequence of events that follow a specific order.

• ゲームをしてアニメを見た。
  ge-mu wo shite anime wo mita.
  I played games and watched anime.

The above example uses する (suru), the verb for “to do” in Japanese. する (suru) falls into group 3 (irregular verbs).

Therefore する (suru) becomes して (shte) when changed into the te-form.

When talking about games, use the verb する (suru) to say that you “play them”.

The te-form indicates a sequence of events using “and”. Therefore the above example implies that anime was watched after playing games.

• 死んで、諦めた。
  shinde, akirameta.
  I died and gave up.

The te-form for the verb 死ぬ (shinu), meaning “to die” in Japanese is 死んで (shinde).

To add context to this example, imagine that the speaker has died in a video game.

The first event that occurred was the act of dying. Following that the person proceeded to give up.

Therefore the te-form indicates that only after failing and dying did the person stop trying.

Past & Future Tense with the Te-Form

When composing a sentence by linking verbs with the te-f0rm, you may be wondering how tense is conveyed.

The only verb that needs it’s tense changed is the last verb that comes at the end of the sentence.

Every other verb you link with the te-form remain without change.

To describe an action that occurred in the past, change the final verb into the past tense.

• 東京に行ってお寿司を食べた。
  toukyou ni itte osushi wo tabeta.
  I went to Tokyo and ate sushi.

Conversely, if this exact sentence was in the future/present tense it, the final verb would be in the dictionary form.

• 東京に行ってお寿司を食べる。
  toukyou ni itte osushi wo taberu.
  I went to Tokyo and will eat sushi.

Essentially the verb 食べた (tabeta), meaning “ate” becomes 食べる (taberu), meaning “eat”, or “will eat”.

Making past tense verbs is explained in the next section.

Linking Verbs with たりたり (tari-tari)

Using the te-form to connect verbs together with “and” in Japanese implies that there is a sequence that follows an order.

To link verbs with “and” in Japanese without indicating a specific order, use the grammar point たりたり (tari tari).

In short, たりたり (tari tari) is a grammar structure that allows verbs to be connected in a sequence that is random.

For instance, if you said:

• 昨日、アニメを見たり、寝たり、ゲームをした。
  kinou, anime wo mitari, netari, ge-mu wo shita.
  Yesterday I watched anime, slept and played games.

The order in which these three things were completed is left vague due to たりたり (tari tari).

It’s possible that this person slept first, before watching anime and playing games.

Whereas if this sentence was made using the te-form, it would imply a stricter sequence.

たりたり (tari tari) is excellent to use when listing multiple examples.

How to Make Tari Tari

たりたり (tari tari) is a post-beginner grammar point.

This grammar point is made by conjugating verbs into the ta-form and then attaching り (ri) to the verb.

The Ta Form (past tense verbs)

The ta-form refers to dictionary-form verbs conjugated into the past tense in Japanese.

Hence, a verb in the ta-form is a verb in the past tense.

Just like with the te-form, ta-form verbs are split into three categories.

Thus, these three groups contain verbs that are conjugated differently from the verbs in other groups.

If you are in the beginner stages with verb conjugation, I strongly recommend learning the te-form first, before moving on to the ta-form.

The te-form is explained in an earlier entry above.

This is because the ta-form verbs are conjugated the exact same way as te-form verbs are. Except, instead of ending with て (te), the verbs typically end with た (ta).

Let’s look at some examples of how these verbs look in the ta-form.

たりたり (tari-tari) to say “and” in Japanese Examples

To complete the conjugation of a verb into たりたり (tari tari), attach り (ri) to a verb that is in the ta-form.

To clarify, use たりたり (tari tari) to list multiple items that don’t follow a specific order.

The final verb in the たりたり (tari tari) list must always end with する (suru), the verb for “to do” in Japanese.

• ラーメンを食べたり映画を見たりする。
  ra-men wo tabetari eiga wo mitari suru.
  I will eat ramen and watch a movie.

In the above example, the actions of eating ramen and watching a movie are connected with たりたり (tari tari).

たりたり (tari-tari) Past Tense

• 勉強したり料理を作ったりした。
  benkyou shtari ryouri wo tsukuttari shta.
  I studied and cooked.

たりたり (tari tari) can also be used to link verbs with “and” in Japanese using the past tense.

To change たりたり (tari tari) into the past tense, change the mandatory する (suru) that follows the final たり (tari) into した (shta).

した (shta) is the past tense of する (suru).

A たりたり (tari tari) sentence that ends with した (shta) changes all the verbs in the sentence into the past tense (see the above example!).

And in Japanese: Linking Adjectives

There are two ways to connect adjectives with “and” in Japanese.

This is because Japanese adjectives are separated into two groups.

Japanese adjectives are either an “i-adjective” or a “na-adjective”.

Distinguishing the difference between the two is relatively simple.

An “i-adjective” is an adjective that generally ends in い (i). Whereas a “na-adjective” ends in a character that is geneerally not い (i).

All “na-adjectives” require an additional な (na) to be attached to the end of the word in certain conjugations.

There are a few exceptions to the rule that every adjective ending with い (i) is an “i-adjective”.

The most common one is きれい (kirei), which means “beautiful” in Japanese. Despite ending in い (i), きれい (kirei) is a “na-adjective”.

Linking Adjectives with くて (kute)

To link an “i-adjective” with “and” in Japanese, replace the final い (i) that appears in the word with くて (kute).

For instance, おいしい (oishii), which means “delicious” would become おいしくて (oishikute), which means “delicious and”.

To clarify: おいしい – おいしい – おいしくて.

All i-adjectives follow this rule of replacing the final い (i) with くて (kute).

• 悲しい – 悲しくて (sad)
• うれしい – うれしくて (happy)
• あつい – あつくて (hot)
• かわいい – かわいくて (cute)
• 強い –  強くて  (strong)

You can use くて (kute) to connect i-adjectives with “and” in Japanese using this method.

くて (kute) to say “and” in Japanese Examples

• 猫はかわいくてふわふわ。
  neko wa kawakikute fuwafuwa.
  The cat is cute and fluffy.

In this example, replace the final い (i) in かわいい(kawaii) with くて (kute). In doing so, かわいい (kawaii) becomes かわいくて (kawaikute).

Related: How to say Or in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

This allows multiple adjectives to be connected together.

• うれしくてすごく笑った。
  ureshikute sugoku waratta.
  I was happy and laughed a lot.

Note: It’s natural to omit pronouns in Japanese!

The above example uses うれしい (ureshii) the adjective for “happy”. うれしい (ureshii), becomes うれしくて (ureshikute).

Past tense can also be conveyed using くて (kute). The tense of the final word in the sentence dictates whether a sentence is past, future/present.

In the case of the above example, 笑った (waratta) is the past tense of 笑う (warau), the verb “to laugh”.

Hence, the entire sentence becomes a past tense sentence.

For a deeper explanation and additional clarity, I highly recommend this video by Miku. She explains how to connect adjectives very well.

Linking Adjectives with で (de)

To link a “na-adjective” with “and” in Japanese, simply attach で (de) to the end of the adjective.

Refer to the list above for a list of adjectives or take a look at this page for a list of the most common ones.

For instance, the “na-adjective” 静か (shizuka), meaning “quiet”, becomes 静かで (shizuka de), meaning “quiet and”.

• 便利 – 便利で (convenient)
• 大切 – 大切で (important)
• 好き –  好きで (like)
• 有名 – 有名で (famous)

The added で (de) to the end of these adjectives functions as “and”.

で (de) to say “and” in Japanese Examples

You can link multiple na-adjectives together with で (de).

• 静かで平和。
  heiwa de shizuka.
  Peace and quiet.

Inserting で (de) between two words like this connects them with “and”.

• その本は有名で大切。
  sono hon wa yuumei de taisetsu.
  That book is famous and important.

In this example, 有名 (yuumei), meaning “famous”, is the na-adjective. Attaching で (de) allows it to be connected.

• 静かで好き。
  shizuka de suki.
  It’s quiet and I like it.

で (de) can also indicate a reason behind something too. In the above example で (de) suggests that precisely because it’s quiet, the speaker likes it.

And in Japanese: Linking Clauses with し~し (shi~shi)

Useし (shi) twice to connect two sentences or clauses together with the nuance of building information.

It functions similarly to “and, what’s more,” in English.

し (shi) can follow a noun, adjective or verb.

• 寒いし、疲れたし。帰りたい。
  samui shi, tsukareta shi. kaeritai.
  I’m cold and tired. I want to go home.

The two words that you want to connect with “and” must both end in し (shi).

Furthermore, し (shi) is more of an emphatic way to say “and” in Japanese. Hence, use it to stress the reasons behind something, like in the example above.

You can also use し (shi) to stress reasons that are unsaid.

• 明日はまた仕事があるし…
  ahita wa mata shigoto ga aru shi…
  I also have work again tomorrow and so…

Typically し (shi) connects two words together. However, by ending a sentence with し (shi) you stress additional context.

By ending a sentence like this you can decline an offer or proposal without coming across as too direct.

Being too direct is generally considered to be rude and offensive in Japan. Therefore using し (shi) is a great way to avoid being too direct.

Verbs + し (shi)

Using し (shi) with verbs is as simple as attaching し (shi) immediately after it.

• お金が足りるし、時間もあるし行こう！
  okane ga tariru shi, jikan mo aru shi, ikou!
  I have enough money and I also have time, let’s go!

By using し (shi) to link verbs like in the example above, you emphasise them as being the reason for something.

In this case, you stress that you have money and the time, so you will (and can) go somewhere.

Adjectives + し (shi)

Japanese adjectives are separated into two groups. These are “i-adjectives” and “na-adjectives”.

To use し (shi) with “i-adjectives” attach し (shi) to the end of the word. For “na-adjectives” attach だし (dashi) to the end instead.

The two words that precede し (shi) will be linked with “and”.

• おいしいしふわふわだし！
  oishii shi fuwafuwa dashi!
  It’s delicious and it’s fluffy!

Related: How to say I Like You in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

• かっこいいし、イケメンだし！すごく好き！
  kakkoii shi, ikemen dashi! sugoku suki!
  They are cool and handsome! I love them!

Nouns + し (shi)

Connecting nouns with し (shi) in Japanese is similar to how you connect “na-adjectives”.

To connect a noun with し (shi), you need to attach だし (dashi) after the noun instead of a single し (shi).

• 締切は来週だし、時間がないし、大変だ。
  shimekiri wa raishuu da shi, jikan ga nai shi, taihen da.
  The deadline is next week and I do not have time. Not good.

The above example uses the noun 来週 (raishuu) which means “next week”. The use of し (shi) connects two clauses together while also emphasising what is said.

In this case, し (shi) stresses that the deadline is next week and there is no time while connecting them together in a related list.

Misa has an excellent video that details the nuances associated with し (shi) among other ways to say “and” in Japanese.

“And Also” in Japanese

• And also.
  それに。
  sore ni. 

Put simply, それに (sore ni) functions as “and also” or “in addition to” in Japanese.

It is a conjunction that you use at the beginning of a second sentence to add more information.

• 彼の日本語が上手だね。それに中国語もうまいらしい。
  kare no nihongo ga jouzu da ne. sore ni chuugokugo mo umai rashii.
  His Japanese is great. And he also seems to be amazing at Chinese too.

As illustrated in the above example, それに (sore ni) is synonymous with “moreover”, “furthermore”, “in addition to” and “and also”.

You can use それに (sore ni) to add an additional request to your order at a restaurant.

• テリヤキバーガーのセットでお願いします。それにアップルパイ、一つお願いします。
  teriyaki ba-ga- no setto de onegaishimasu. sore ni appurupai, hitotsu onegaishimasu.
  The teriyaki burger set, please. And one apple pie as well.

“And Then” in Japanese

• And then.
  それから。
  sorekara. 

The best translation for “and then” in Japanese is それから (sorekara). Use それから (sorekara) to continue a new sentence that follows on from what was said before.

In other words, それから (sorekara) is used at the beginning of a sentence or clause to describe an event or action that comes after something else in a sequence of events.

• ３回目死んだ。そらからゲームオーバーだった。
  san kai me shinda. sorekara ge-mu o-ba- datta.
  I died three times. And then got a game over.

In this example, it’s stressed that after three defeats, the player got a game over.

それから (sorekara) can also have the nuance of “since then”.

• ３年前に日本に来た。それから日本語を勉強している。
  san nen mae ni nihon ni kita. sorekara nihongo wo benkyoushteru. 
  I came to Japan 3 years ago. Since then I’ve been studying Japanese.

When それから (sorekara) is used it emphasises a sequence of events. The sentence preceding それから (sorekara) will always describe the first even in that sequence.

“And So” in Japanese

• And so.
  そして。
  soshte. 

そして (soshte) is another way to say “and” in Japanese. You use it to connect two sentences or clauses together.

Therefore you will generally see そして (soshte) used at the beginning of sentences.

Linking a sentence or clause with そして (soshte) generally implies that something has happened as a result of something.

• 一所懸命勉強して、そして試験に合格した！
  isshokenmei benkyoushte, soshte shiken ni goukaku shta!
  I studied as hard as I could, and so I passed the exam!

In the above example, そして (soshte) is used to link two points together; the action and the consequence of that action. The action is the act of studying hard, and the consequence is passing the exam.

そして (soshte) is a general way to connect related sentences or clauses with “and” in Japanese.

And That’s The End!

• And so you’ve reached the end of the article!
  そして、記事の最後につきました！
  soshte, kiji no saigo ni tsukimashita! 

For more ultimate how-to Japanese guides take a look at the collection. [All Ultimate Guides].

• ゼルダの伝説と日本語が好きですか。
  zeruda no densetsu to nihongo ga suki desu ka.
  Do you like The Legend of Zelda and Japanese?

If you do, take a look at my YouTube Channel!

The best way to say “sad” in Japanese is 悲しい (kanashii).

The word 悲しい (kanashii) is an adjective that means “sad” in Japanese. Use it to describe a feeling of unhappiness, express sorrow or regret.

To tell someone that you are sad in Japanese you can simply say 悲しい (kanashii).

It’s natural to omit pronouns in Japanese. Therefore you don’t need pronouns to communicate that you are feeling sad.

You can just say 悲しい (kanashii) to express “I am sad” in Japanese.

While 悲しい (kanashii) is a way to express general sadness, you may also wish to describe a specific kind of sad feeling.

There are many other ways to express various emotions of sadness and similar feelings in Japanese. Here are a few!

• 落ち込む (ochikomu) – to feel down
• つらい (tsurai) – painful sadness
• うつ病 utsubyou – depression
• 泣きそう(nakisou) – I feel like crying
• 心が痛い (kokoro ga itai) – my heart hurts
• 傷ついた (kizutsuita) – I’m upset
• 失恋 – (shitsuren) – heartbroken

This ultimate guide builds on the above list and explains how to express many different feelings of sadness.

All entries have detailed explanations, examples and audio pronunciation for your reference!

This guide is tailored for beginners and intermediate learners alike.

Sad in Japanese

• Sad.
  悲しい。
  kanashii.

The easiest way to express a feeling of sadness in Japanese is to use 悲しい (kanashii).

The word 悲しい (kanashii) is an i-adjective that means “sad”.

You can use it to describe a sad thing, or someone who is sad.

• それは悲しい。
  sore ha kanashii.
  That’s sad.

Use それは (sore ha) to say “that is” in Japanese. Attach 悲しい (kanashii) to complete the sentence “that is sad”.

Replace それ (sore) with the name of the person to express how someone feeling is sad.

• [name]は悲しい。
  [name] ha kanashii.
  [name] is (feeling) sad.

We sometimes insert the word “feeling” into sentences when describing someone’s mood in English.

In Japanese, this is already inferred. Therefore you can use the above Japanese phrase to communicate both.

You can also use 悲しい (kanashii) to describe something that is or was sad. For instance,

• 悲しい時だった。
  kanashii toki datta.
  It was a sad time.

I’m Sad in Japanese

Textbooks will often teach the below phrase as meaning “I’m sad” in Japanese.

• 私は悲しい。
  watashi wa kanashii.
  I’m sad.

While this is a grammatically correct way to say that you are sad, it can be a little unnatural.

You may have learned that 私は (watashi wa) means “I am” in Japanese. Beginner textbooks frequently include 私は (watashi wa) in the example sentences.

This helps with processing study material because we use pronouns all the time in English.

However, it’s more natural to omit pronouns when speaking Japanese. Consistent use of 私は (watashi wa) is considered redundant and unnecessary.

For that reason using 私は (watashi wa) excessively sounds unnatural.

Therefore, the best way to say “I’m sad” in Japanese is to drop the pronouns and say 悲しい (kanashii).

• 悲しい。
  kanashii.
  I’m sad.

When you speak like this, you will sound much more natural.

With pronouns omitted, you can continue to add words to communicate more detail. For example,

• 今は悲しい。
  ima wa kanashii.
  I’m sad now.

Perhaps you miss someone and want to express how it makes you sad.

• [name]に会えなくて悲しい。
  [name] ni aenakute kanashii.
  I’m sad I can’t see you right now.

Related: How to say I Miss You in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

It’s also important to note that the best way to say “you” in Japanese is to use the person’s actual name. Even when you’re speaking with them directly.

For more information, refer to the above ultimate guide!

Are You Sad? in Japanese

• Are you sad?
  悲しいの？
  kanashii no?

The best way to ask someone if they are sad in Japanese is to say 悲しいの (kanashii no) and phrase it like a question.

To reiterate, you don’t need to use pronouns to ask someone if they are sad in Japanese. Phrasing 悲しい(kanashii) like a question is enough.

If you do wish to specify, you can use the person’s name in place of “you”. This is because saying the person’s name is the best way to say “you” in Japanese.

The order of the words in the sentence looks like this.

• [name]、悲しいの？
  [name], kanashii no?
  Are you sad, [name]?

The inclusion of の (no) is optional and is a way to emphasise the phrase as a question. Moreover, attaching の (no) to the end of sentences can convey more emotion.

Therefore you communicate your concern more effectively when you include の (no).

Whether you include の (no) or not, simply phrasing 悲しい (kanshii) like a question is the most natural way to ask if someone is sad in Japanese.

Refer to the audio pronunciation above to hear how this sounds!

Very Sad in Japanese

• Very sad.
  とても悲しい。
  totemo kanashii.

To emphasise a feeling of sadness take 悲しい (kanashii), the adjective for “sad” in Japanese and attach とても (totemo) before it.

This makes the expression とても悲しい (totemo kanashii).

The word とても (totemo) means “very” or “awfully” in Japanese. Use it to describe something to a high degree.

Hence, use とても悲しい (totemo kanashii) to emphasise that you or something is/are very sad.

As it’s natural to omit pronouns when speaking Japanese, you can use this phrase to communicate that it is you who is feeling exceedingly sad.

• なんとなく、今日はとても悲しい。
  nanotonaku, kyou wa totemo kanashii.
  For some reason, I’m very sad today.

Just like in the above example sentence, we don’t need to use pronouns. This is because it’s already obvious from context that it’s you, the speaker who is feeling very sad.

You can emphasise how much you’re really feeling sad even further by repeating how many times you say とても (totemo).

This is the same as repeating “very” multiple times in English.

• とてもとても悲しい。
  totemo totemo kanashii.
  I’m very very sad.

You can also use とても (totemo) to emphasise how something is or was very sad.

• とても悲しい映画だった。
  totemo kanashii eiga datta.
  That was a very sad movie.

Sadness in Japanese

• Sadness.
  悲しさ。
  kanashisa.

The word for “sadness” in Japanese is 悲しさ (kanashisa).

悲しさ (kanashisa) is a conjugation of the i-adjective for “sad”; 悲しい (kanashii). Textbooks often teach this conjugation as the “sa-form”.

Use the “sa-form” to conjugate an adjective into a noun. It involves replacing the final い (i) of an adjective with さ (sa).

Therefore 悲しい (kanashii), an adjective meaning “sad”, becomes 悲しさ (kanashisa), a noun meaning “sadness”.

You use 悲しさ (kanashisa) to express misery, despair, anguish or any situation that causes emotional upset or pain.

• 彼女は大きな悲しさを耐えてる。
  kanojo wa ookina kanshi sa wo taeteru.
  She’s enduring immense sadness.

I Feel Sad in Japanese

• I feel kind of sad.
  なんか悲しい。
  nanka kanashii.

Say なんか悲しい (nanka kanashii) to express that somehow you feel kind of sad or unhappy in Japanese.

For instance, to specify that you feel somewhat unhappy today you can say:

• 今日なんか悲しい。
  kyou nanka kanashii.
  I feel kind of sad today.

Preceding 悲しい (kanashii), the word for “sad” in Japanese is なんか (nanka).

なんか (nanka) is a fairly complex word with a multitude of meanings and nuances.

I highly recommend this excellently composed video by Misa. She explains なんか (nanka) in detail while providing plenty of examples to illustrate the nuances.

I Was Sad in Japanese

• I was sad.
  悲しかった。
  kanashikatta.

To describe a time in the past when you were sad in Japanese, use 悲しかった (kanashikatta).

The word 悲しかった (kanashikatta) translates as “I was sad” in Japanese. It is the past tense of 悲しい (kanashii), the adjective meaning “sad”.

To reiterate, you do not need to use pronouns to specify that it’s you who was sad.

Saying the word 悲しかった (kanashikatta) will convey that you were sad in Japanese.

You can be more precise and specify when you were sad, as well.

For example:

• 昨日は悲しかった。
  kinou wa kanashikatta.
  I was sad yesterday.

You can also use 悲しかった (kanashikatta) to state how something was sad in Japanese.

For instance:

• それは悲しかった。
  sore wa kanashikatta.
  That was sad.

How Sad in Japanese

There are a few ways to agree with someone who is feeling sad and communicate “how sad”, “how terrible” and “that sucks in Japanese.

Firstly, if you feel something bad has happened and it’s sad or a pity you can say:

• 残念。
  zannen.
  That’s a shame/that’s unfortunate.

There are multiple ways to exaggerate your response too, such as saying something along the lines of “no way! That’s a shame”.

For example,

• うそ！残念。
  uso! zannen.
  No way! That’s a shame/that’s unfortunate.

Take a glance at the below ultimate guide for more in-depth details and explanations.

Related: How to say No Way in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

• 最悪。
  saiaku.
  That’s awful.

Responding with the word 最悪 (saiaku) to someone’s statement is the same as saying “that’s terrible”, “that’s awful”, or “that’s horrible” in Japanese.

When you perceive something as devasting you can say:

• なんて悲しい。
  nante kanashii.
  How sad.

This is the closest to an exact translation of “how sad” in Japanese.

Saying なんて悲しい (nante kanashii) is a strong way to express how you think something is truly sad.

なんて (nante) is N3 grammar used to emphasise what’s being said.

Hence, when you pair なんて (nante) with 悲しい (kanashii) you stress how sad you feel something really is.

I don’t Feel Like It in Japanese

• I don’t feel like it.
  その気分じゃない。
  sono kibun janai.

The above is a casual expression you can use to communicate how you don’t feel like doing something in Japanese.

Use it to express a lack of desire for something or a lack of interest in something.

When you don’t feel in the mood for something, say その気分じゃない (sono kibun janai).

You can also use this expression as a very direct way to turn down someone’s offer in Japanese and tell them “no”.

Related: How to say No in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

For instance, perhaps a friend suggests you play some video games together. You don’t feel like it and say:

• 今あまりその気分じゃない。
  ima amari sono kibun janai.
  I don’t really feel like it right now/I’m not in the mood for it right now.

The expression その気分じゃない (sono kibun janai) has three components.

1.  その (sono) means “that” in Japanese.
2. 気分 (kibun) means “mood” or “feeling” in Japanese.
3. じゃない (janai) means “not” or “is not” in Japanese. It is a casual variant of ではない (dewanai) and ではありません (dewarimasen). These are the negative versions of です (desu).

For that reason, when you use その気分じゃない (sono kibun janai) you express literally how you are not feeling up to something right now. You are not in the mood.

Let’s remember that omitting pronouns is more natural. Hence you do not need any pronouns when speaking this expression.

Don’t Be Sad/Cheer Up in Japanese

• Don’t be sad/cheer up.
  元気だして。
  genki dashite.

Use 元気だして(genki dashite) to communicate the words “cheer up” in Japanese.

If someone is feeling sad, down or out of energy, you can use this expression to encourage them that things will get better.

元気 (genki) is a noun that means “energetic” and “lively” in Japanese. だして (dashite) is the te-form of the verb だす (dasu), meaning “to take out” or “release”. One of the functions of the te-form is to transform verbs into light requests.

In essence, 元気だして (genki dashite) can be literally translated to “take out your energy”. Therefore when you tell someone 元気だして (genki dashite) you’re encouraging them to cheer up and be more energetic.

You can add more to this expression to encourage them further. Adding extra words of reassurance is one way to do this. For instance,

• 元気だして。きっと大丈夫だよ。
  genki dashite. kitto daijoubu dayo
  Cheer up. Everything will surely be okay.

For a full list and explanation on how to ask if someone is okay and reassure them in Japanese, refer to the below ultimate guide.

Related: How to say Okay and I’m Okay in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

Perhaps someone has just experienced an intense ordeal. You can reassure them that it’s over now.

• 元気だして。もう終わったよ。
  genki dashite. mou owatta yo.
  Cheer up. It’s all over now.

There are plenty of ways to reassure someone in Japanese, refer to the ultimate guide above for a more detailed explanation.

Are You Feeling Sad? in Japanese

There are a few ways to ask someone if they are feeling sad in Japanese.

The first is:

• Are you feeling sad?
  元気ないの？
  genki nai no?

Use the above expression to ask someone if they are feeling sad, unhappy or depleted of energy.

The word 元気 (genki) is the same as the one in 元気だして(genki dashite), meaning “cheer up” explained above.

元気 (genki) is a word that means “energetic”, “lively”, and “full of spirit”.

This word can refer to a person’s state of well-being. Therefore asking someone if they are 元気 (genki) is the same as asking “how are you” in Japanese.

Related: How to say How Are You in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

It’s common to ask what’s called negative questions when seeking an answer from someone in Japanese.

In this expression, ない (nai) is a modifier that changes the question from an affirmative, to a negative one.

Therefore the expression 元気ないの？ (genki nai no?) can be literally translated as “don’t you have much energy?”.

While, you can use 元気ないの？ (genki nai no?)to ask if someone is feeling sad, you can also use it to ask if they are feeling out of energy or in low spirits.

This PDF by the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics does an excellent job breaking down the nuances with negative questions.

Are You Feeling Sad in Japanese #2

The second way to ask someone if they are feeling sad in Japanese is:

• Are you feeling sad?
  悲しんでるの？
  kanashinderu no?

Use 悲しんでるの？ (kanashinderu no?) to ask someone if they are feeling sad or unhappy. The の (no) is an optional addition that emphasises the phrase as a question, and your concern for the other person.

悲しんでる (kanashinderu) is the casual progressive verb form of the adjective 悲しい (kanashii), meaning “sad”.

The verb for “sad” in Japanese is 悲しむ (kanasimu). In the progressive form, it becomes 悲しんでいる (kanashindeiru).

This is already a casual expression, meaning it’s best suited for use between friends, family and those you are personally close with. However, you can remove the い (i) to make it more casual.

This makes it 悲しんでる (kanashinderu).

When you ask someone if they are sad, you ask in the continuous tense. You’re asking if they are still and are continuing to feel sadness at the very moment you ask them.

Hence, when you ask them if they are feeling sad in Japanese using a verb, it needs to be in the progressive form.

I Feel Down in Japanese

• I feel down.
  落ち込んでる。
  ochikonderu.

Use 落ち込んでる (ochikonderu)to express that you’re feeling down in Japanese.

When you feel unhappy or in low spirits, saying 落ち込んでる (ochikonderu) will communicate that.

As it’s more natural to omit pronouns in Japanese, you do not need to specify that it’s you who is feeling down. You can simply say 落ち込んでる (ochikonderu) by itself.

When you say 落ち込んでる (ochikonderu), you’re saying “I feel down” in Japanese. Add more to this expression to slightly alter what you convey. For instance,

• ちょっと落ち込んでる。
  chotto ochikonderu.
  I feel a little down.

You can ask someone if they feel down in Japanese as well. To do this, you simply phrase the expression as a question. When you do this, pronouns are again, not necessary!

• 落ち込んでるの？
  ochikonderu no?
  Are you feeling down?

The addition of の (no) attached to the end of the expression is optional. This の (no) is a sentence-ending particle. Including it communicates slightly more feeling and concern and emphasises the question being asked.

落ち込んでる (ochikonderu) is the progressive form of the verb 落ち込む (ochikomu), meaning “to feel down” or “to feel depressed”.

As being in a state of unhappiness is an emotion that you’re continuing to feel when you say this expression, you need to use the progressive form 落ち込んでる (ochikonderu).

Sulking in Japanese

• Sulking.
  すねってる。
  sunetteru.

The word for sulking in Japanese is すねってる (sunetteru). Use it to describe silent, moping behaviour.

You can say すねってる (sunetteru) to communicate “I’m sulking” in Japanese. Or, you can phrase it like a question, similar to the 落ち込んでる (ochikonderu), explained above.

Once again, you do not need pronouns when speaking this expression. For example,

• すねってるの？
  sunetteru no?
  Are you sulking?

You may also wish to ask someone why they are sulking in Japanese, too. To do this, insert どうして (doushite) before the expression. This makes the expression:

• どうしてすねってるの？
  doushite sunetteru no?
  Why are you sulking?

There are many different ways to say “why” in Japanese. Which one you use will change the exact nuances you convey. Take a glance at the below guide for more details.

Related: How to say Why in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

Why Are You Sad? in Japanese

• Why are you sad？
  どうして悲しいの？
  doushte kanashii no?

Use the above phrase to ask someone the reason why they are sad in Japanese. 

The first word in the phrase, どうして (doushte) is one of the many ways of saying “why” in Japanese. 

The second word is the adjective 悲しい (kanashii), which means “sad”. Attached to 悲しい (kanashii) is の (no).

This is an optional addition to emphasise the phrase as a question. You also convey more emotion and concern when you include の (no). 

As explained earlier, it’s more natural to omit pronouns in Japanese. Hence, the Japanese translation of “why are you sad” does not include the pronoun “you”. 

It’s also worth knowing that to some people this phrase might be considered to be direct. 

Therefore rather than asking someone if they are sad, you might be better off asking if they are okay instead. 

One of the ways you can do this is to use 大丈夫 (daijoubu). 

• 大丈夫？　
  daijoubu?
  Are you okay?

Take a glance at this ultimate guide for more details on saying okay in Japanese

Related: How to say Okay in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

I’m Not Sad in Japanese

• I’m not sad.
  悲しくない。
  kanashikunai.

The word 悲しくない (kanashikunai) is the negative form of the adjective 悲しい (kanashii), meaning sad. 

Thus, 悲しくない (kanashikunai) directly translates as “not sad” in Japanese. 

You can use 悲しくない (kanashikunai) to specifically state that you are not sad as a response to something, or as a general comment. 

If someone asks you if or why you are sad you can reply with 悲しくない (kanashikunai) to communicate that you are not at all feeling unhappy.

I’m Not Sad Anymore in Japanese

If you were sad at one point in the past, but those feelings have now dissipated, you can say:

• I’m not sad anymore.
  もう悲しくない。
  mou kanashikunai.

As discussed in the entry above, 悲しくない (kanashikunai) means “not sad” in Japanese. 

Preceding this word is もう (mou) which translates as “already”.

In essence, the full phrase もう悲しくない (mou kanashikunai) can be understood as meaning “already not sad”. 

Hence, when you say もう悲しくない (mou kanashikunai) you express how your previous feelings of sadness have already disappeared. You no longer feel unhappy and therefore are not sad anymore. 

An example sentence may look like this:

• まだ悲しいの?　
  mada kanashii no?
  Are you still sad?

The reply:

• いや、もう悲しくない 。　
  iya, mou kanashikunai.
  Nope, I’m not sad anymore.

Related: How to say No in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

It Makes Me Sad in Japanese

• It makes me sad.
  悲しくなる。
  kanashikunaru.

One of the most natural ways to express that something makes you sad in Japanese is to use 悲しくなる (kanashikunaru).

When something or someone is the reason why you are feeling sad, use 悲しくなる to express “it makes me sad” in Japanese.

You can specify what makes you sad as well. For instance, if you hear something that makes you feel unhappy you can express:

• それを聞くと悲しくなる。　
  sore wo kikuto kanashikunaru.
  Hearing that makes me sad.

Likewise, if you’re told something that makes you feel in low spirits use this phrase:

• そういう言われると悲しくなる。　
  souiu iwareru to kanashikunaru.
  Being told that makes me sad.

You Make Me Sad in Japanese

If the reason why you’re sad is because of another person, you can tell them directly as well.

• [name]のせいで悲しくなる。　
  [name] no seide kanashikunaru.
  You make me sad.

When you want to tell someone “you make me sad” in Japanese, remember that the most natural way to address the person is by their actual name. In other words, the best way to say “you” in Japanese is to say the person’s name instead.

Say 悲しくなる (kanashikunaru) by itself to say “it makes sad” generally. Alternatively, extend the phrase and specificy to give more context.

悲しくなる (kanashikunaru) is formed of two components. Firstly, 悲しい (kanashii), which is the i-adjective for sad in Japanese.

This i-adjective is then conjugated with the grammar point なる (naru).

なる (naru) means “become” in Japanese. Therefore, conjugating 悲しい (kanashii) with なる (naru) changes the meaning to literally “become sad”.

To conjugate with なる (naru), take the last い (i) of the i-adjective and replace it will く (ku). Finally, attach なる (naru) after く (ku).

悲しい (kanashii) becomes 悲しく (kanashiku) and then finally 悲しくなる (kanashikunaru).

As pronouns are dropped in Japanese, when you say 悲しくなる (kanashikunaru) you express that you will become sad as a result of something.

When the context is already understood by the speaker and listener, saying 悲しくなる (kanashikunaru) is enough to communicate that something makes you sad.

So Sad it’s Painful in Japanese

• So sad, it hurts.
  つらい。
  tsurai.

A very powerful way to communicate that you or someone feels sad in Japanese is つらい (tsurai).

The word つらい (tsurai) is an i-adjective that you can use to describe an emotion that’s painful, heartbreaking or cruel.

To describe how you’re feeling an immense sadness you can say つらい (tsurai) without any pronouns.

You can emphasise the emotional pain further by extending your sentence. If you’re feeling devasted after having your heart broken you can say

• つらい。こころが痛い。
  tsurai. kokoro ga itai.
  It’s painful. My heart hurts/aches.

Suggested: How to say Soul in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

You can also use つらい (tsurai) to emphasise how something is emotionally painful.

For example, if your job is extremely taxing and is taking a toll on you mentally, you can say

• 仕事はつらい。
  shigoto wa tsurai.
  Work is emotionally draining/painful.

Use this template to say express how something is emotionally painful in Japanese.

Replace the word 仕事 (shigoto) with a noun of your choice to communicate how you feel incredibly unhappy with it.

Miserable in Japanese

• Miserable.
  惨め。
  mijime.

惨め (mijime) is a na-adjective that you can use to describe someone or something that is miserable.

Use it when something or someone is in a wretched state of despair or distress.

For instance:

• 惨めな人生。
  mijieme na jinsei.
  Miserable life.

This word is a na-adjective. Therefore, when 惨め immediately follows a noun, you need to insert な (na) in between 惨め and the following noun.

Another example:

• 惨めな人。
  mijieme na hito.
  Miserable person.

You can use 惨め (mijime) as an adverb as well. To make it an adverb attach に (ni) to 惨め (mijime).

This makes it 惨めに (mijime ni), meaning “miserably”. Finally, place 惨めに (mijimeni) before a verb.

• 惨めに失敗した。
  mijime ni shippai shita.
  I failed miserably.

Upset in Japanese

There are a few ways to express upset in Japanese. Which one you use depends on what kind of upset emotion you are feeling.

If you’re feeling upset and angry, use this expression.

• Upset (angry).
  怒ってる。
  okotteru.

If you’re feeling upset and sad because your feelings have been hurt use this expression.

• Upset (hurt feelings).
  傷ついた。
  kizutsuita.

怒ってる (okotteru) Explained #1

When using the first expression, 怒ってる (okotteru), you communicate that you’re upset and angry.

怒ってる (okotteru) is the progressive form of the 怒る (okoru), the verb for “angry”.

This verb needs to be in the progressive form as when you express you are upset and angry you continue to feel those emotions when you’re speaking. You are already frustrated and the emotion is continuous.

Whereas saying 怒る (okoru) to someone will instead communicate “I’ll get angry” in Japanese. This is because 怒る (okoru) is used to refer to an event that is going to happen.

Use 怒ってる (okotteru) as a response or statement to express you are angry, disappointed, unhappy about something and/or upset.

For instance, if someone asks how you are, you can say:

• 今起こってる。
  ima okotteru.
  I feel angry/upset right now.

傷ついた (kizutsuita) Explained #2

Use 傷ついた (kizutsuita) to express your feelings have been hurt and you feel upset.

For example, if someone has said something to you that has made you feel upset you can say 傷ついた (kizutsuita) to communicate it.

The difference between 怒ってる (okotteru) and 傷ついた (kizutsuita) is that 怒ってる (okotteru) conveys anger more than 傷ついた (kizutsuita).

Therefore use 傷ついた (kizutsuita) when you feel generally upset and 怒ってる (okotteru) when you are upset and angry.

The kanji in 傷ついた (kizutsuita) is 傷.

This kanji means “wound”, “injury”, “hurt”, or “pain”. Hence, 傷ついた (kizutsuita) infers that your feelings have been hurt.

You can use 傷ついた (kizutsuita) in situations such:

• どうして無視をしたの？傷ついた。
  doushte mushu wo shita no? kizu tsuita.
  Why did you ignore me? I’m upset.

Furthermore, 傷ついた (kizutsuita) can be used to refer to both emotional and physical pain.

Hence, when using it to refer to physical pain, it translates as “hurt”.

I Feel Like Crying in Japanese

• 泣きそう。
  nakisou.
  I feel like crying.

When you feel so sad you feel like bursting into tears you can use 泣きそう (nakisou).

Saying 泣きそう (nakisou) will communicate “I feel like crying” in Japanese.

Therefore when you say 泣きそう (nakisou) to someone you are telling them that you feel like you are going to cry.

Heartbroken in Japanese

The word for heartboken in Japanese is 失恋 (shitsuren).

The kanji for 失恋 (shitsuren) is 失 and 恋, meaning “lose” and “romance” respectively.

Therefore the meaning of 失恋 (shitsuren) is literally “lose romance”. Use this word to describe or state a feeling of unrequited love or brokenheart.

• 失恋に耐えてる。
  shitsuren ni taeteru.
  I’m enduring a broken heart.

However, 失恋 (shitsuren) is a word that is found more so in stories. Such as those from books and movies, rather than in general conversation. It can sound somewhat poetic.

Hence to describe that you have a broken heart without sounding super poetic, there is another expression you can use.

• 心を傷つけたんだ。
  kokoro wo kizutsuketanda.
  You broke my heart.

If somebody breaks your heart and you want to express that feeling to others, you can say:

• [name]は私の心を傷つけた。
  [name] wa watashi no kokoro wo kizutsuketa.
  [name] broke my heart.

Replace [name] with the name of the person who broke your heart to personalise the sentence.

That’s Sad (pathetic) in Japanese

• That’s sad/pathetic.
  なせけない。
  nasekenai.

To refer to something or someone as being sad or tragic in the pathetic sense, use the i-adjective なせけない (nasekenai).

Say なせけない (nasekenai) to describe something or someone as pitiful, shameful or pathetic.

For instance, if you are appalled at someone’s performance on something you can say (sarcastically or not):

• さっきは何だ？なせけなかったね
  sakki wa nanda? nasekenakatta ne.
  What was that? That was pathetic.

As なせけない (nasekenai) is an adjective, you can use it to describe nouns as pathetic or shameful directly.

For example:

• なせけない状態。
  nasekenai joutai.
  Pathetic state.

You can also use it to describe yourself.

• 私はなせけない人だった。
  watashi wa nasekenai hito datta.
  I was a pathetic (sad) person.

Depression in Japanese

• Depression.
  うつ病。
  utsubyou.

The word for depression in Japanese is うつ病 (utsubyou).

Use the word うつ病 (utsubyou) to express that you are or feel depressed.

There are a few ways you can use うつ病 (utsubyou) to communicate levels of depression.

For example, to state that you are depressed, you can use:

• 私はうつ病だ。
  watashi wa utsubyou da.
  I am depressed.

To emphasise the pain you feel you can say:

• つ病だに苦しんでる。
  utsubyou ni kurushinderu.
  I’m suffering from depression.

As うつ病 (utsubyou) is a noun, you can use verbs to state that you “suffer from” or “feel” depressed.

Happy in Japanese

• Happy.
  嬉しい。
  ureshii.

The word for happy in Japanese is the i-adjective 嬉しい (ureshii).

嬉しい (ureshii) is the opposite of 悲しい (kanashii), like how “happy” is the opposite of “sad” in English.

You can say 嬉しい (ureshii) by itself to say “I am happy” in Japanese.

Alternatively, you can use it to describe something or someone else as happy.

For a comprehensive explanation of how to say “happy” in Japanese refer to the below ultimate guide.

Suggested: How to say Happy in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

Not Happy in Japanese

• Not happy.
  嬉しくない。
  ureshikunai.

嬉しくない (ureshikunai) is an adjective that means “not happy” in Japanese.

It is the negative form of 嬉しい (ureshii), which means “happy”.

Use 嬉しくない (ureshikunai) to express that you or someone is unahppy.

To communicate that you are unhappy in Japanese you simply say 嬉しくない (ureshikunai). You do not need any pronouns to state that it is you who is unhappy.

For example, if someone asks how you are, you may reply with:

• ちょっと嬉しくない。
  chotto ureshikunai.
  I’m a little unhappy.

Related: How to say How Are You in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

To express that someone else is unhappy use the following template.

• [name]は嬉しくない。
  [name] wa ureshikunai.
  [name] is unhappy.

Simply replace [name] with the name of the person who is not happy.

Use this next phrase to express that it seems like someone is sad. 

They appear unhappy or at least give off that impression.

• [name]は嬉しくないみたい。
  [name] wa ureshikunai mitai.
  [name] seems unhappy.

みたい (mitai) is a grammar point to say how something seems like something in Japanese. By attaching みたい (mitai) to the end of 悲しくない (kanashikunai), the meaning changes from “unhappy” to “seems unhappy”.

I’m Sad There’s No More!

• I’m sad there’s no more.
  もうないのは悲しい。
  mou nai no wa kanashii.

When you’re sad that there is no more of something use the above phrase.

Perhaps you’re disappointed or sad that there is no more of your favourite food left in the fridge.

Or, Maybe you’re sad that you’ve reached the end of this guide!

But there’s no need to be sad! 元気出して！(genki dashite!).

Take a look at the collection of Ultimate How-To Japanese guides for more. [View All Ultimate Guides].

There are two main ways to say “nice to meet you” in Japanese.

These are:

1. 初めまして。(hajimemashite).
2. よろしくお願いします。(yoroshiku onegaishimasu).

While both mean “it’s nice to meet you” they differ in terms of use and nuances.

You can use both 初めまして (hajimemashite) and よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) to say “nice to meet you” in Japanese.

These are the best natural phrases to use when meeting someone for the first time.

However, よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) has additional meanings and uses that extend beyond being a simple polite formula that’s used when introducing yourself to someone. 

In short, use 初めまして (hajimemashite) at the beginning of your self-introduction or greeting.

Similar to English, saying 初めまして (hajimemashite), “nice to meet you” right around the moment you introduce your name is most natural.

Whereas it’s most natural to use よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) at the end of your introduction or first meeting with someone.

This ultimate guide explains the meanings, uses and nuances associated with these two phrases and more along with plenty of examples and native audio samples for your pronunciation reference.

Similar expressions such as “nice to meet you, too” and how to say “nice to meet you” in Japanese formally and casually are also explained coupled with examples and audio!

I’ve composed this guide for beginners and intermediate learners of Japanese alike!

Nice to Meet You in Japanese

• Nice to meet you.
  初めまして。
  hajimemashite. 

The word 初めまして (hajimemashite) is the best translation for “nice to meet you” in Japanese.

When you meet someone for the first time you’ll want to say 初めまして (hajimemashite). It’s the best way to greet someone new and start introducing yourself!

初めまして (hajimemashite) originates from the word 初めて (hajimete) which means “for the first time” in Japanese.

You can use the word 初めて (hajimete) to describe first-time things. For instance:

• 初めてのあいさつ。
  hajimete no aisatsu.
  First-time greetings.

Therefore, you should only use the phrase 初めまして (hajimemashite) when meeting someone for the first time.

Generally speaking, 初めまして (hajimemashite) is used at the beginning of your introduction. It’s one of the first phrases you can use when meeting someone new.

Nice to Meet You. My Name is… in Japanese

It’s also a great phrase to use when you are about to introduce your name.

• 初めまして。[name] です。
  hajimemashite. [name] desu. 
  Nice to meet you. I’m [name].

Using the above template, replace [name] with your own name for a natural way to introduce yourself in Japanese in any circumstance.

There are plenty of ways to introduce your name in Japanese, however, the above template is the most failproof method.

Japanese has many polite styles of speech which can be confusing and concerning when you’re not sure which style to use.

With that said, if you’re introducing yourself to your new manager for the first time, for instance, you can increase the formality:

• 初めまして。[name] と申します。
  hajimemashite. [name] to moushimasu.
  Nice to meet you. I’m [name]. (Formal). 

Refer to this ultimate guide for all the details on introducing your name in Japanese!

How to say My Name Is in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

Nice to Meet You #1 in Japanese Kanji

The kanji for “nice to meet you” in Japanese is 初.

The kanji 初 means “beginning” or “first” in Japanese.

Hence, 初めまして (hajimemashite) quite literally refers to a meeting with a person for the first time. This means that 初めまして (hajimemashite) is best utilised as one of the first things you say!

Hello, Nice to Meet You in Japanese

• Hello! Nice to meet you.
  こんにちは！ 初めまして。
  konnichiwa! hajimemashite. 

If there’s one thing that’s definitely appropriate to say before saying “nice to meet you” to someone new, it’s going to be “hello”.

The best way to say “hello” in Japanese before saying “nice to meet you” is with こんにちは (konnichiwa).

Greeting someone with こんにちは (konnichiwa) is similar to saying “hello”, “good day” or “good afternoon” in English.

It’s a standard greeting that flows very nicely when paired with 初めまして (hajimemashite) for an introduction.

Related: How to say How Are You in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

As well as こんにちは (konnichiwa), you may want to say “good morning” or “good evening” too. These are:

• おはようございます。
  ohayou gozaimasu.
  Good morning.

And:

• こんばんは。
  konbanwa.
  Good evening.

Related: How to say Good Night in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

Typically, は is pronounced as “ha”. However, the final は (wa) in こんにちは (konnichiwa) and こんばんは (konbanwa) is unique as it’s pronounced as “wa”, rather than “ha”.

See the audio for pronunciation reference!

Nice to Meet You in Japanese #2

• Nice to meet you.
  よろしくお願いします。
  yoroshiku onegai shimasu. 

The phrase よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) is unique in that it doesn’t have a direct English translation.

One of its meanings is commonly understood as “nice to meet you” in Japanese. You may see it translated like this in textbooks.

However, よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) has distinct nuances and a number of different uses compared to the former 初めまして (hajimemashite).

よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) Meaning

Let’s take a look at what よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) actually means.

As mentioned, textbooks teach this phrase early on as meaning “nice to meet you” in Japanese.

よろしく (yoroshiku), the first part of the phrase, is an adverb that literally means “well” or “suitable” in Japanese.

お願いします (onegaishimasu), the second part, is a formal verb that originates from お願い (onegai). The word お願い (onegai) means “request” or “wish” in Japanese.

Therefore, being a verb, お願いします (onegaishimasu) means “to make a request/to make a wish” in Japanese.

This means that the full phrase よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) literally translates to “to make a well/suitable request”.

However, despite the strange literal translation of “making a suitable request”, よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) is used as an expression which holds multiple intertwined meanings:

1. “Best regards”.
2. “Please treat me well”.
3. “Please take care of…”.
4. “It’s nice to meet you”.
5. “Please do”.
6. “Please remember me”.

Nice to Meet You in Japanese #2 Example

When you meet someone for the first time, you know you’ll be working together, or if you’ll be in each other’s company for a while, use よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) to communicate that you’re hoping for a good, healthy relationship with them.

A simple yet natural dialogue may look like this:

• 初めまして。[name] です。よろしくお願いします。
  hajiemashite. [name] desu. yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
  Nice to meet you. I’m [name]. Please take care of me. (nice to meet you).

Put simply, 初めまして (hajimemashite) is used at the beginning of an introduction or greeting to mean “nice to meet you”. While よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) is used at the end of an introduction or greeting.

You don’t say よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) before you’ve introduced yourself.

The only exception to this is if someone else has introduced you first. In either case, once you’ve been introduced to the other party, saying よろしくお願いします (yoroshishiku onegaishimasu) is perfectly natural and it’s very polite to do so.

In short, use this phrase once your initial introduction has concluded!

It’s a nice way to finish and close off your initial conversation with someone you’ve not met before.

よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) VS 初めまして (hajimemashite)

As mentioned, both 初めまして (hajimemashite) and よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) can be used to say “nice to meet you” in Japanese.

初めまして (hajimemashite) is said at the beginning of the first greeting, while よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) is said at the end.

However, unlike 初めまして (hajimemashite), よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) can be used outside of first-time greetings/introductions as well.

It has many unique uses and is generally said all the time, especially in the workplace.

For example, when a company makes a request to or has a conversation with another company via phone call, they may finish the call with よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu).

よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) Examples

Referring to the 6 intertwined meanings as listed earlier, you can also use よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) when you want to say “please take care of…” in Japanese.

If you have a Japanese partner, for instance, their parents may say to you:

• 娘をよろしくお願いします。
  musume wo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
  Please take care of our/my daughter.

You may also use it to say “give my regards to” in Japanese. This can be very useful to say things such as:

• アーロンによろしくお願いします。
  a-ron ni yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
  Give my regards to Aaron.

Replace “Aaron” with the name of the person you wish to send greetings to. This is a great way to show positivity when you want to ask someone to tell a person to say hello to them.

It’s important to remember that you can also use よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) to communicate that you’re looking forward to developing a good relationship with someone.

This doesn’t necessarily only have to be said when you’re meeting them for the first time.

If you’re about to begin a task, project or some kind of work with someone, you may tell them:

• 今日はよろしくお願いします。
  kyou wa yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
  I’m looking forward to working with you today.

Related: How to say Good Job in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

You even use it frequently in emails!

• 不明点がありましたら、ご連絡ください。よろしくお願いします。
  fumeiten ga arimashitara, gorenraku kudasai. yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
  If something is unclear, please contact us. Best regards.

This is a phrase that you’ll hear frequently in Japanese, not just as a greeting!

Nice to Meet You #2 in Japanese Kanji

The kanji in よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) is 願.

願 means “request, vow, hope, wish” in Japanese. It is most often seen in the word お願い (onegai), which is used when making requests.

Related: How to say Hope & I Hope in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

It’s worth noting that よろしく also has a kanji, although it is rarely written with it.

This kanji is 宜, which means “best regards” or “good” in Japanese.

The full phrase with kanji looks like this: 宜しくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu).

Related: How to say Good in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

Nice to Meet You Too in Japanese

There are two ways to respond to someone who has just said “nice to meet you” to you.

In the first entry, we clarified that 初めまして (hajimemashite) is best used to say “nice to meet you” in Japanese at the beginning of the initial greeting.

Therefore the best response to 初めまして (hajimemashite), is by also replying with 初めまして (hajimemashite).

This would be the same as responding with “nice to meet you” to “nice to meet you” in English.

A more accurate way to convey the full phrase “nice to meet you, too” in Japanese would be to use the following expression:

• Nice to meet you too.
  こちらこそよろしくお願いします。
  kochira koso yoroshiku onegai shimasu. 

With the information explained in the earlier entry in this article, we know that よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) is an expression that functions as “nice to meet you” at the end of a greeting.

The word こちらこそ (kochira koso) is also an expression that is best translated as “it is I who should say so” in Japanese.

This is a formal expression that emphasises that it is you, the speaker who is delighted to meet the other person.

Therefore, attaching こちらこそ (kochira koso) to よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) means “nice to meet you too” in Japanese.

Another way to understand this expression is to interpret it as meaning “the pleasure is mine”  or “I’m pleased to meet you” in Japanese.

To summarise, when someone says よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) to you in Japanese, you can reply with こちらこそよろしくお願いします (kochirakoso yoroshiku onegaishimasu).

For clarification, you cannot say こちらこそよろしくお願いします (kochirakoso yoroshiku onegaishimasu) straight after someone has said 初めまして (hajimemashite) to you.

In this case, it’s more natural to repeat 初めまして (hajimemashite) back to the other person!

Nice to Meet You in Japanese Formal

While よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu), explained above, is already a formal way to express “nice to meet you” in Japanese, there is a way to increase that formality.

When you’re speaking with your company’s main boss or a headteacher, for instance, you may wish to make a good first impression and say “nice to meet you” in Japanese formally.

This level of high-formality style of speech is referred to as Keigo in Japanese.

Use the following expression to say “nice to meet” you in Japanese Keigo:

• Nice to meet you (formal).
  よろしくお願いいたします。
  yoroshiku onegai itashimasu. 

This is the most formal way to say “nice to meet you” in Japanese.

Use it when speaking with those who are considered to be of higher social status than yourself.

This is useful when you’re speaking to your boss, or perhaps to a potential employer. This expression is great for interviews!

よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) and よろしくお願いいたします (yoroshiku onegaiitashimasu) Difference

Grammatically speaking, there is one difference between よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) and よろしくお願いいたします (yoroshiku onegai itashimasu).

That is that the ending changes from します (shimasu) to いたします (itashimasu).

Put simply いたします (itashimasu) is the most formal version of します (shimasu).

To explain, します (shimasu) is the formal version of the verb する (suru), meaning “to do”. いたします (itashimasu) is one step beyond that to the most formal level.

Generally, you would use する (suru), the casual variant of the verb “to do” when speaking with friends or family.

します (shimasu) is the formal variant which you would use when speaking with colleagues or strangers.

Finally, いたします (itashimasu) is the most formal variant which you use in situations where the max level of formality is required.

We clarified earlier that the literal meaning of お願いします (onegai shimasu) is “to make a request.”

Breaking down the components reveals that お願い (onegai) means “request” and します (shimasu) means “to do”. Therefore the overall meaning is literally – to do a request.

Nice to Meet You in Japanese Casual

• Nice to meet you (casual).
  よろしく。
  yoroshiku. 

You can shorten the expression よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) to just よろしく (yoroshiku).

When you do this, the expression becomes casual. Therefore, you can use よろしく (yoroshiku) when you want to tell someone “nice to meet you” casually in Japanese.

Like the full expression, よろしく (yoroshiku) is most naturally used at the end of the initial greeting.

Once you’ve introduced your name and any other details you deem necessary, you finish with よろしく (yoroshiku) to communicate that it’s nice to meet the person.

It’s important to remember that よろしく(yoroshiku) is not a formal expression. When you meet someone for the first time, you’ll generally want to use formal language.

However, when you say よろしく(yoroshiku) to someone at the end of your introduction you establish the “social level” of the relationship. Using よろしく(yoroshiku) establishes a friendly relationship with the other person.

Yet, this friendliness is not to be mistaken for genuine goodwill. The type of relationship that is established by saying よろしく(yoroshiku) is a friend-friend one. 

You’re essentially communicating to the other person to skip the formalities.

You can also say “nice to meet you” casually in Japanese while conveying friendly vibes by using:

• よろしくね。
  yoroshiku ne.
  Nice to meet you. (friendly).

Grammatically, ね (ne) is a sentence-ending particle that adds nuance to a phrase.

In this case, the addition of ね (ne) emphasises a friendly atmosphere.

For that reason, when you say よろしくね (yoroshiku ne) to someone you’re communicating “it’s nice to meet you, let’s skip the formalities and be friends”.

It’s Nice to Finally Meet You in Japanese

• It’s nice to finally meet you.
  やっと会えて嬉しいです。
  yatto aete ureshii desu.

This is a polite phrase you can use to tell someone that you’re delighted to have at long last met them.

Perhaps you’ve heard a lot about this person from someone else, and now you’ve finally got the opportunity to meet them.

You can communicate that with the following sequence:

• [name]のことをたくさん聞いてます。やっと会えて嬉しいです。
  [name] no koto wo takusan kitemasu. yatto aete ureshii desu.
  I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.

To reiterate, when speaking Japanese, the pronoun “you” isn’t used often. Instead, it’s much more natural to address the person by their name, even when speaking to them directly!

This is a formal phrase that’s great for when you’re meeting someone for the first time.

The phrase begins with やっと (yatto), meaning “finally” in Japanese.

Next is 会えて (aete), which is the potential te-form of 会う (au), meaning to “meet”. The potential form refers to the conjugation of a verb to describe an ability or inability to do something.

This means that 会えて (aete) translates as “can meet”.

The te-form has many functions. Typically, sentences in Japanese end with the verb. However, the te-form enables the verb to connect with the second part of the sentence.

Finally, 嬉しい (ureshii) means “happy”, “glad” or “pleased” in Japanese. Attached to the end is です (desu). This makes the sentence formal.

Related: How to say Happy in Japanese [Ultimate Guide]. 

Let’s remember that it’s natural to omit pronouns in Japanese, therefore, there is no need to mention “I” or “you”.

You can simply use やっと会えて嬉しいです (yatto aete ureshii desu) to someone when you want to express that you’re happy to have finally met them.

I’m Happy to Meet You in Japanese

• I’m happy to meet you.
  お会いできて嬉しいです。
  odeai de kite ureshii desu.

Telling someone that you’re happy to meet them can be a nice gesture.

You can communicate that feeling in Japanese with the above phrase.

Use this phrase at the very beginning of your initial greeting with someone – right around the time when you introduce your name.

Likewise, if someone was to say this phrase to you, you can reply with こちらこそ (kochira koso). Replying like this is the same as saying “me too” in English.

It Was Nice to Meet You in Japanese

You can use a similar pattern to communicate the same expression at the end of your first meeting.

In English, when we’ve concluded the first greeting with someone and had a brief chat we sometimes say “it was nice to meet you” to round off the conversation.

This English sentence is in the past tense and the Japanese variant of this expression is in the past tense too.

• It was nice to meet you.
  おで会いきて嬉しかったです。
  odeai de kite ureshikatta desu.

This is a formal phrase you can use when you wish to express that you feel delighted to have met someone. It would be most natural to use it at the end of your first chat with the person you’ve just met.

I’m Looking Forward to Meeting You

• I’m looking forward to meeting you.
  お会いできるのを楽しみにしております。
  odeai de kiru no wo tanoshimishte orimasu.

You can express how you’re looking forward to seeing someone formally and casually in Japanese.

For the formal variant, please refer to the above expression.

You may want to use this expression after you’ve arranged a time and date to meet up with someone. This could be by email or phone for instance.

As such, you can say this phrase at the end of your conversation on the phone or via email. In doing so, you communicate that you’re fondly anticipating your meeting with them.

If you’re speaking with a friend or partner (whom you haven’t seen for a while), you may wish to use the casual variant of this expression.

The casual way to say “I’m looking forward to meeting you” in Japanese is:

• 会うのを楽しみしてる。
  au no wo tansohimi shteru.
  I’m looking forward to meeting you. (casual).

This phrase begins with 会う (au) the kanji for “to meet” in Japanese.

It ends with 楽しみしてる (tanoshimi shteru). This is a verb that means “looking forward to” in Japanese.

The middle contains two particles. These are の (no) and を (wo). Grammatically speaking, の (no) transforms the preceding verb, 会う (au) into a noun. This allows it to be modified by another verb.

The を (wo) particle connects a noun and verb together. It marks the preceding noun as the “thing” that the following verb is doing.

We clarified that the verb “to meet”会う (au) has been transformed into a noun. The following verb is “looking forward to”, 楽しみしてる (tanoshi mi shteru).

Therefore the literal translation can be understood as “looking forward to meet”.

Just like others in this article, this expression also omits pronouns. This is because it’s natural to completely drop all pronouns in Japanese.

It’s an Honour to Meet You

You can express how it’s an honour to meet someone in Japanese through the use of Keigo; the polite style of Japanese speech.

In Keigo, words and phrases often change drastically from how they are in the dictionary (regular) form.

The verb for “to meet” in Japanese is 会う (au). In Keigo, it’s much longer. It becomes お目にかかる (me ni kakaru). For those curious, 目 is the kanji for “eyes” in Japanese.

As Keigo is a very polite style of speech, we can utilise it to say things such as “it’s an honour to meet you” in Japanese.

The word for honour in Japanese is 光栄 (kouei).

Combining these two words in the same sentence will make:

• お目にかかれて光栄です。
  o me ni kakarete kouei desu.
  It’s an honour to meet you.

お目にかかる (o me ni kakaru) has been changed into お目にかかれて (o me ni kakarete). This is the potential te-form.

The potential form is used to describe an ability or inability to do something. Hence, the potential form of the Keigo word for “meet” in Japanese is a polite “can meet”.

Whereas the te-form enables verbs to connect to another noun/verb, extending the sentence length. The te-form is necessary here as Japanese sentences typically end with the verb. The te-form allows this to be bypassed.

In essence, you express how it’s an honour that you can meet this person when you use this phrase.

You may also wish to communicate things such as:

• いつお目にかかれますか。
  itsu o me ni kakaremasu ka?
  When can I see you?

As this phrase is also in Keigo, it’s a very formal way of asking someone when you can see them.

Nice in Japanese!

• ナイス！
  naisu!
  Nice.

The Japanese word for “nice” is ナイス (naisu)! Although this word is not used to communicate that you’re happy to meet someone. Instead, you use it to give compliments or to describe something as being good.

For more examples of how to introduce yourself properly in Japanese using some of the phrases listed in this guide, I recommend this video:

The video covers how to say “nice to meet you” in Japanese as part of your self-introduction. It also teaches how to expand your self-introduction with additional information.

For example, introducing your age, where you’re from, your job and where you live in Japanese.

For more ultimate How-to Japanese guides from me, I recommend these:

How to say Good in Japanese [Ultimate Guide]

How to say Good Job in Japanese [Ultimate Guide]

Take a look at the collection of Ultimate How-To Japanese guides! [View All Ultimate Guides].

Do you enjoy The Legend of Zelda and learning about the Japanese language and culture? Join me on my YouTube channel!

Generally, the best way to say “good night” in Japanese is with the casual おやすみ (oyasumi) or the formal おやすみなさい (oyasumi nasai).

You can use おやすみ (oyasumi) to say “good night” to a friend in Japanese before you or they go to bed.

In Japanese, you can also use おやすみ (oyasumi) to say “good night” to someone when it’s late at night and they are leaving to go home.

For example, perhaps you and your friend are on the last train of the night together. At the moment when they are about to get off the train at a stop before yours, you can tell them おやすみ (oyasumi).

Likewise, we also use “good night” in various situations in English. For instance, we may also use it as a general parting greeting.

We may say a friendly good night to the staff at a store just before closing time. Or we may just want to wish someone in having a good night.

Furthermore, we normally include much more into our “good night” parting phrase in English. We add additional phrases and expressions after saying good night. For example, we may also say “sweet dreams”, “sleep well”, or even “I love you”.

These types of expressions can be challenging to translate into Japanese.

Yet, that’s not to say there is no way to communicate these expressions at all. There are many alternative expressions we can use to convey a similar meaning in Japanese.

This ultimate guide covers all the ways to say “good night” in Japanese as well as similar related expressions. All entries are coupled with a native pronunciation recording for your reference along with detailed explanations and examples.

This guide is suitable for beginners and intermediate users alike!

Good Night in Japanese

• Good Night.
  おやすみ。
  oyasumi.

The expression おやすみ (oyasumi) is the casual way to say “good night” in Japanese. Thus, you use it between friends, family and those who you are close with.

As mentioned, you can use おやすみ (oyasumi) to say “good night” to someone just before you or they go to bed.

Similar to English, it’s natural for the person to repeat おやすみ (oyasumi) back to you, the same as how someone would say “good night” to you after you’ve just said it to them.

You can also say おやすみ (oyasumi) as a parting greeting to someone when it’s late at night.

Perhaps you and your friend are walking home together late at night. Eventually, you go separate ways as your houses are in different directions. At this point you may say to them:

• 今日ありがとう。おやすみ！
  kyou arigatou. oyasumi!
  Thanks for today. Good night!

Related: How to say Thank You in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

In short, you can use おやすみ (oyasumi) to say good night to someone before they go to bed, or as a parting greeting when it’s late at night.

Refer to the above recording for a native pronunciation reference on how to say “good night” in Japanese.

Good Night in Japanese Kanji

When written in kanji, おやすみ (oyasumi) is お休み (oyasumi).

The kanji is 休, which means “rest” in Japanese.

You’ll often see 休 appear in the verb 休む meaning “to rest”.

What does おやすみ (oyasumi) mean?

Strictly speaking, おやすみ (oyasumi) does not translate directly into “good night”. Instead, it is used to convey the meaning of “good night” to someone before sleep.

This is because おやすみ (oyasumi) is composed of two components.

Firstly is お (o) which is a pre-fix used in Japanese Keigo, polite style speech. You place it at the beginning of a word to essentially beautify and make the word polite.

Secondly, やすみ means “rest” in Japanese. Written in kanji it’s 休み (yasumi). The word 休み (yasumi) is the noun version of the verb 休む (yasumu), meaning “to rest”.

Combining お (o) and やすみ (yasumi) together makes おやすみ (oyasumi).

Therefore, when you say おやすみ (oyasumi) to someone you’re actually telling them to rest up, rather than to have a “good night” specifically.

With that said, you still communicate the same sentiment with おやすみ (oyasumi) as you do when you say “good night” to someone in English.

It’s worth noting that although おやすみ (oyasumi) is made up of a Japanese Keigo component, it’s still considered a word that you use casually. There is a different expression for saying good night formally.

おやすみ (oyasumi) Uses

The expression おやすみ (oyasumi) has additional uses outside of just being a way to say “good night” to someone.

In the above section, we covered that おやすみ (oyasumi) is composed of two parts. First is お (o), a pre-fix to make the following polite. The second is やすみ (yasumi), the word for “rest” in Japanese.

One of the reasons おやすみ (oyasumi) does not translate directly to “good night” is because it can be used to mean “day off“, “rest“, or “holiday.

In essence, you can use おやすみ (oyasumi) to talk about a day off, a holiday or an absence.

For example, you can use おやすみ (oyasumi) to talk about when you have a day off from work/school.

• 明日はお休みです。
  ashita wa oyasumi desu.
  Tomorrow is a day off.

If you’re going to be absent from work or school for a while, you can communicate this too.

• 学校からしばらくお休みします。
  gakkou kara shibaraku oyasumi shimasu.
  I will be absent from school for a while.

Likewise, if you’ve taken some time off from work for any reason, you can use the following sequence:

• お休みを取りました。
  oyasumi wo torimashita.
  I took a holiday.

Generally, you’ll hear おやすみ (oyasumi) used to say “good night” in Japanese.

However, it’s worth noting that you can also use おやすみ (oyasumi) to talk about a day off or an absence.

Good Night in Japanese Formal

• Good Night (formal).
  おやすみなさい。
  oyasuminasai.

When you want to say “good night” in Japanese formally, use おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai).

Like おやすみ (oyasumi), this expression is also a night greeting.

おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai) is an extension of おやすみ (oyasumi) with the addition of なさい (nasai).

It has three major components.

1. お (o) is a prefix that beautifies the word it’s attached to; making it polite.
2. やすみ (yasumi) is the noun version of the verb やすむ (yasumu), meaning “to rest”.
3. なさい (nasai) is the command form of the verb なさる (nasaru), a polite way to say “to do” in Japanese.

Hence, using なさい (nasai) is a way to issue a soft command in Japanese.

By combining all three components together we have おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai). We can interpret it literally as a polite expression for ” have a rest”.

Therefore, when you want to tell someone to have a good night in Japanese, use おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai) to wish them in having a rejuvenating sleep.

More Ways to Say Good Night in Japanese

While the casual おやすみ (oyasumi) and the formal おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai) are great ways to say good night in Japanese, they do have their limitations.

In English, we use the phrase “good night” frequently in all kinds of situations. You may say it to your colleagues as a farewell when you go home for the day/evening, for instance.

In Japanese, unless it’s very late at night, it’s uncommon to wish someone a good night ahead of time.

Instead, when you’re finishing work for the day, to tell your colleagues “good night” you can use:

• Good Night/Thank you (for your hard work).
  お疲れ様です。
  otsukare sama desu.

It’s common to say お疲れ様です (otsukare sama desu) to colleagues when you’ve finished work today. It’s a way to announce that you’re going home, thank them for the day and to express “good night” all in one word.

You’ll hear this expression all the time in the workplace even when you’re not actually finished for the day.

お疲れ様です (otsukare sama desu) Explanation

In any case, when someone has completed some kind of work, task or project it’s natural to say お疲れ様です (otsukare sama desu) to express gratitude and to compliment what they’ve done.

Remember that Japanese is an honorific language, meaning that it’s polite to thank others for work they’ve done regularly.

For a full in-depth explanation of お疲れ様です (otsukare sama desu), refer to this ultimate guide:

Related: How to say Good Job in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

With that said お疲れ様です (otsukare sama desu) is an expression that means “good night” and “goodbye” in Japanese.

To clarify, it’s common to say お疲れ様です (otsukare sama desu) to colleagues or partners with who you have been working or completing some kind of task or project.

This can be any task, project or work – the use of お疲れ様です (otsukare sama desu) is very flexible.

You may say this expression throughout the day, however, you will always say it at the end of the day when it’s time to go home for the night.

This is when お疲れ様です (otsukare sama desu) can be interpreted as “good night”. This is because during these situations you wouldn’t say おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai).

Let’s remember that you use おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai) to say goodnight to someone before you or they go to bed. The only exception to this rule is if it’s very late at night.

More Ways to Say Good Night in Japanese Casually

While お疲れ様です (otsukare sama desu), explained above, is a formal expression, お疲れ様  (otsukare sama), withoutです (desu) the casual variant.

You use お疲れ様 (otsukaresama) with friends and those who you are close with, rather than with colleagues.

Other than this difference, how you use it, and the nuances associated with this word remain the same as お疲れ様です (otsukare sama desu).

• Good Night/Thank you (for your hard work) (casual).
  お疲れ様。
  otsukare sama.

For instance, you may use お疲れ様 (otsukaresama) after you’ve finished working on a project or studying together with a friend or classmate.

It’s late afternoon/earlier evening, you’re done for the day and it’s time to go home. This is the perfect time to use お疲れ様 (otsukaresama) to thank your friend and wish them a good night.

If it is particularly late at night, you may even wish to use おやすみ (oyasumi) to communicate “good night” too. However, to reiterate, use おやすみ (oyasumi) only when it’s late.

Even without saying おやすみ (oyasumi), the sentiment associated with “good night” is expressed when you use お疲れ様 (otsukaresama).

There is a more casual variant of this expression, too.

This is お疲れ (otsukare).

As this is a very casual expression, make sure not to use it in formal situations!

This video does a fantastic job of explaining the nuances behind お疲れ様 (otsukaresama) in 1 minute!

Have a Good Night in Japanese

Sometimes we want to wish someone in having a genuinely good night, rather than just having a good sleep.

Perhaps the person is staying up all night playing a new video game release, having a movie night, or going to the club.

Whatever it may be, we want to wish that person a good night, in the sense of having fun!

There are a few ways you can express this and tell them to have a good night in Japanese.

• Have lots of fun tonight. (Have a good night).
  今夜、たくさん遊んでね。
  konya, takusan asonde ne.

You can use the above phrase to communicate to someone to have a fun/good night.

The first part of this phrase is 今夜 (konya), a word that means “tonight” in Japanese.

The second word is たくさん (takusan) which means “lots”, or “many”.

The third word is 遊んで (asonde), the te-form version of the verb 遊ぶ (asobu), meaning “to play”.

While the te-form has many functions, here, it’s used to convey a request.

Thus, when you use this full phrase, you’re requesting that the person has lots of fun. It’s similar to saying “I hope you have lots of fun tonight” but in Japanese.

Related: How to say Hope and I Hope in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

The final ね (ne), is a grammar particle. You use it at the end of a sentence to ask or show agreement.

In summary, use the above phrase to express “good night” to someone in Japanese in the sense of having a good time.

Enjoy Your Night in Japanese

If someone is particularly excited about something that’s happening at night, you can join in on their feeling of joy with this phrase:

• 今夜楽しみだね。
  konya tanoshimi da ne.
  Tonight will be exciting, won’t it?

You can use this phrase if you’ll be participating in whatever it is that they are looking forward to or not. Using this phrase is a considerate way to acknowledge someone’s enthusiasm or excitement for something.

The Japanese Word For Night

The word and kanji for “night” in Japanese is 夜 (yoru). In hiragana, it’s written as よる (yoru).

When saying “good night” to someone in Japanese, you don’t actually use the word 夜 (yoru) at all.

With that said, you can use the word 夜 (yoru) to refer to the night or at a particular time in the night using other words.

1. 今夜 (konya) – Tonight.
2. ゆうべ (yuube) – Last night.
3. 夜中 (yonaka) – In the middle of the night/ Midnight.
4. 明日の夜 (ashita no yoru) – Tomorrow night.

The Japanese Word for “Good”

Just like 夜 (yoru), you don’t use the word for “good” in Japanese when wishing someone a good night.

The word for good in Japanese is いい (ii). Yet there are many other ways to say “good”. I’ve composed an ultimate guide that covers all the ways to say “good” in Japanese coupled with explanations, examples and pronunciation references.

How to say Good in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

When translating “good night” into Japanese using automated tools, you may come across the following phrase:

• いい夜を。
  ii yoru wo.
  Good night.

This phrase contains the words いい (ii) and 夜 (yoru) which do mean “good” and “night” respectively.

However, this phrase sounds unnatural and you should not use it.

Instead, you should use おやすみ (oyasumi) and お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu), as explained in earlier entries.

Good Night, Sleep Well in Japanese

There are a few ways to say “good night, sleep well” in Japanese.

The first way is to say it casually.

• Good night, sleep well.
  ゆっくり寝てね。おやすみ。
  yukkuri nete ne. oyasumi.

You can use this phrase with a friend, family member or someone you’re close with just before you or they sleep as a natural way to wish them a restful sleep.

Let’s break down the entire phrase and the components. Firstly, we know that おやすみ (oyasumi) can be used to say “good night” in Japanese.

Secondly, the phrase ゆっくり寝てね (yukkuri nete ne) means “sleep well”. Yet, the literal meaning is sometimes interpreted as “sleep slowly”.

This is because the word ゆっくり (yukkuri) is most commonly associated with meaning “slowly“, “unhurriedly“, or “without haste“.

However, it can also mean “well (referring to sleep)“, or “comfortably“.

Thirdly, 寝て (nete) is the te-form of the verb 寝る (neru), meaning “to sleep“. Thus, when you combine 寝て (nete) with ゆっくり (yukkuri) in a sentence, you’re literally saying “sleep comfortably/sleep well” in Japanese.

Finally, the ね (ne) is an optional sentence-ending particle that you use to show or ask for agreement. In this example, it functions similarly to saying “get some good sleep tonight, okay?” in English.

Sleep Well in Polite Japanese

To wish someone in having a good night’s rest formally in Japanese, you can use the following phrase:

• ゆっくりお休みください。
  yukkuri o yasumi kudasai.
  Sleep well (polite).

Similar to saying “sleep well” in Japanese casually, this phrase also utilises ゆっくり (yukkuri).

As mentioned ゆっくり (yukkuri) is an adverb that commonly means “slowly”, but it can also mean “well” or “comfortably”.

Also discussed in earlier entries, 休み (yasumi) that means “rest” in Japanese. Preceding 休み (yasumi) is お (o). This お (o) acts as a beautifier to transform a word into a formal one. You may see it appear in other words, such as:

1. お水 (omizu) – Water.
2. お寿司 (osushi) – Sushi.
3. お酒 (sake) – Alcohol.
4. お金 (okane) Money.

In all of these examples, お (o) functions as a beautifier, making the words respectful and formal.

Appearing last is ください (kudasai), a formal way to say “please” in Japanese.

Therefore, when put together, the full phrase ゆっくりお休みください (yukkuri oyasumi kudasai) literally translates as please rest well”.

With that said, you use it when you want to say “sleep well” to someone formally in Japanese.

Asking Did You Sleep Well in Japanese?

After saying to someone “sleep well”, the next thing would be to ask if they actually did manage to sleep well or not the next morning.

To ask someone “did you sleep well” formally in Japanese, use:

• よくお休みしましたか。
  yoku yasumimashita ka.
  Did you sleep well? (formal).

よく (yoku) is the adverb of いい (ii), meaning “good” in Japanese. Therefore, the “well” part of this phrase is communicated through the word よく (yoku).

The word お休みしましたか is the polite form, or the ます (masu) form of 休む (yasumu), the verb for “to rest”.

The ending か (ka) is used to denote a question when speaking formally.

Therefore, asking someone if they slept well with this phrase is synonymous with asking if they rested well.

• よく寝た？
  yoku neta?
  Did you sleep well? (casual).

Use the above phrase to ask if someone has had a rejuvenating sleep casually in Japanese.

A typical instance when you may use this phrase is with a friend who the next morning after they’ve travelled some distance to see you.

In essence, when you’re wondering if someone was able to get adequate sleep, or if you’re just wanting to be polite, use よく寝た (yoku neta).

Good Night, Sweet Dreams in Japanese

When someone is heading to bed, sometimes you may want to wish them sweet dreams in their sleep.

Although there is not a perfect translation for “sweet dreams” in Japanese, there are other expressions we can use that hold similar nuances.

Firstly, you can in fact convey the nuances attached to “sweet dreams” by using:

• Good night (sweet dreams).
  おやすみ。
  oyasumi.

As discussed in the earlier section of this ultimate guide, you use おやすみ (oyasumi) when you want to say “good night” to someone in Japanese.

Yet, おやすみ (oyasumi) is not strictly only translated as “good night”. You can, of course, use it in place of the English “good night” as a night greeting before sleep. This is how this phrase is commonly used.

As explained, おやすみ (oyasumi) actually translates literally to “have a good rest” in Japanese. It’s often used when you want to wish someone a relaxing, peaceful rest.

In English, we use the phrase “sweet dreams” when we want to express good wishes to someone before they go to sleep. Therefore we can use おやすみ (oyasumi) to convey a similar meaning.

Native speakers also often translate the phrase “sweet dreams” as おやすみ (oyasumi) in Japanese.

Sweet Dreams in Japanese

With that said, there are also some alternative Japanese expressions that also convey something similar to the English “sweet dreams”.

Depending on the person you are saying “sweet dreams” to, there are different expressions you can use.

For instance, you may say to a child:

• 楽しい夢を見てね。
  tanoshii yume wo mite ne.
  Have some fun dreams.

Or you may wish to communicate something more romantic to a partner.

• 夢で一緒に遊ぼう！
  yume de isshoni asobou!
  Let’s have some fun (let’s play) together in our dreams!

For more information on how to express “sweet dreams” to someone in Japanese, take a look at the below ultimate guide.

How to say Dream in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

Good Night My Love in Japanese

Calling someone “my love” after saying “good night” to them is another instance where it’s difficult to translate it perfectly into Japanese.

There are multiple workarounds, however, as well as a literal translation that you may be able to use in some unique circumstances.

The most natural way to express something similar to “good night, my love” in Japanese is to refer to the person with whom you are speaking by their actual name.

• Good night, [name].
  おやすみ [name]。
  [name] oyasumi.

This is because calling someone by their actual name in your “good night” greeting makes it much more personal.

You can, of course, just say おやすみ (oyasumi) to them, which is the standard way of saying “good night” in Japanese.

However, including the person’s name, (especially their first name!) is a great way to personalise the expression.

The literal translation for “good night, my love” in Japanese is:

• Good night, my love.
  おやすみ、私の愛。
  oyasumi, watashi no ai.

私の愛 (watashi no ai) translates literally as “my love” in Japanese. 私の (watashi no) means “my”, and 愛 (ai) means “love”.

But, calling someone your 愛 (ai) in Japanese can come across as very strong, and even unnatural at times.

This phrase is the kind of thing you may hear in a romantic-heavy drama series or movie.

Outside of this, you would hardly ever use it. If you were to use this with your Japanese partner, they may be taken a bit off guard and think you are mimicking a line you’ve heard in a script/video/movie somewhere.

Although with that said, it is a fun way to get a conversation going, so I’d recommend trying it, maybe!

Good Night Darling in Japanese

There are a few ways to refer to your significant other as “darling” while wishing them a good night in Japanese.

The first is to use the word ダーリン (da-rin), which is a borrowed word from the English word “darling”.

• Good night, darling.
  おやすみ、ダーリン。
  oyasumi, da-rin.

We’ve learned that おやすみ (oyasumi) is the standard natural way to say “good night” in Japanese.

Hence, you can simply include the word ダーリン (da-rin) after saying おやすみ (oyasumi), to say “good night, darling” in Japanese.

However, ダーリン (da-rin) also has some strong romantic nuances attached. Therefore it’s not used very often.

Another way to call your partner “darling” in Japanese is to use あなた (anata).

• Good night, darling.
  おやすみ、あなた。
  oyasumi, anata.

Textbooks teach あなた (anata) as the standard way to say “you” in Japanese. However, it’s much more natural to use the person’s actual name rather than あなた (anata).

You should still call the person by their name, even when you’re speaking with that person directly. This is the best way to say “you” in Japanese.

Yet, you may have heard あなた (anata) used in movies or songs to address someone as “you”. In these scenarios, あなた (anata) is considered a romantic word and translates as “darling”.

Outside of movies or song lyrics, あなた (anata) is not used to call someone “darling” very often at all.

It’s still safer to just use the person’s name instead. This is the most natural way to make the phrase “good night” more personal!

Good Night I Love You in Japanese

• Good night, I love you.
  おやすみ、愛してるよ。
  oyasumi, aishiteru yo.

We include the expression “I love you” when saying “good night” to a partner in English fairly often.

For some people, saying  “I love you” when you go to bed may have become like second nature.

Yet, in Japanese, telling someone you love them is considered to be very strong by most people.

The closest phrase to the English “I love you” is 愛してる (aishteru). However, as mentioned, telling someone you love them with 愛してる (aishteru) can be considerably intense for the receiver.

Just like the phrases for “darling” in Japanese, 愛してる (aishteru) is often used in movies and song lyrics.

Using 愛してる (Using aishteru)

With that said, 愛してる (aishteru) can be said between two very closer lovers in Japanese. It conveys a very strong romantic image and therefore should not be used in high-frequency.

Instead, you should only use it for those exceptionally special situations when you love your partner (and they love you back) dearly.

In these scenarios, telling someone “good night, I love you” with おやすみ、愛してるよ (oyasumi, aishteru yo) is a great expression to use.

Using it on your honeymoon after marriage would be a great time to take advantage of this expression.

You could even make it even more personal by including the person’s name!

• おやすみ [name]。愛してるよ。
  oyasumi [name]. aishteru yo.
  Good night [name]. I love you.

Have a glance at the below ultimate guide for a full breakdown of the nuances associated with saying “I love you” and “I like you” in Japanese.

Related: How to say I Like You in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

To clarify, you don’t need to include the “I” pronoun when saying “I love you” in Japanese. Likewise, the “you” pronoun is also not needed! This is because it’s more natural to omit pronouns in Japanese.

The final よ (yo) in 愛してるよ (aishteru yo) is an optional grammar particle used to emphasise what’s being said.

It was a Good Night in Japanese

You can express how a night was particularly enjoyable for you in Japanese by using this phrase.

• It was a good night.
  楽しい夜だった。
  tanoshii yoru datta.

This is a casual expression you can use to say how you enjoyed the night.

As this expression is in the past tense, you’ll want to use it when speaking about a night that has already happened.

This could be as soon as the night is over, as well. For instance, imagine you were out with friends for the night, you’re on your way home with them and you say:

• 楽しい夜だったね！
  tanoshii yoru datta ne!
  That was a fun night! Wasn’t it?

楽しい (tanoshii) is an i-adjective, meaning “fun”.

夜 (yoru) is the word for “night”.

だった (datta) is the casual past tense for です (desu), meaning “it is”.

You can also use this expression to talk about an enjoyable night that’s happened in the distant past. Perhaps you’re feeling nostalgic about it. For example:

• 去年のパーティーは楽しい夜だった！
  kyonen no pa-tei- ha tanoshii yoru datta!
  Last year’s party was a great night!

You can make this expression formal, by changing だった (datta) to でした (deshita).

This would make it:

• 楽しい夜でした！
  tanoshii yoru deshita!
  It was a fun night! (formal).

This phrase may come in handy if you’re reminiscing about a fun night with colleagues for instance.

See You in the Morning in Japanese

After saying “good night”, the next thing that naturally follows is “see you in the morning”.

We use this as the final sentence in our good night greetings. We generally specify that it will be the morning the next time we see each other.

Yet in Japanese, it’s usually “see you tomorrow” that’s said, rather than specifically “see you in the morning”.

With that said, the best way to say “see you in the morning” in Japanese is to use:

• See you tomorrow (in the morning).
  また明日。
  mata ashita.

This is the expression that is used after you say good night to someone. Use it when you would usually say “see you in the morning” to someone in English.

Of course, as this phrase does actually mean “see you tomorrow”, you can use it as a general farewell too. It’s a casual parting phrase that you can say to friends or family to say goodbye.

To clarify また (mata) means “again”, and 明日 (ashita) means “tomorrow”. In the literal sense, this phrase translates as “tomorrow again”. Although it’s used to convey the meaning of “see you tomorrow” or “see you in the morning”.

However, if you have arranged to meet someone in the morning, you can communicate the specific time with this phrase:

• また朝に会おう！
  mata asa ni aou!
  Let’s meet in the morning!

This is a casual phrase you can use to confirm that the morning is the time when you will next meet.

Generally speaking, however, you will want to use また明日 (mata ashita) to say “see you in the morning” to someone after you’ve told them “good night”.

おやすみ！(oyasumi)

The most natural way to express “good night” in Japanese is with おやすみ (oyasumi).

You’ll find that a lot of the phrases you use to say good night in English can be expressed with おやすみ (oyasumi) in Japanese.

Expressions such as “night night” or “night” are examples of this.

Have a look at the collection of Ultimate How-To Japanese guides!

Enjoy the Legend of Zelda and are interested in Japanese? Take a look at my YouTube channel!

There are three main ways to say “why” in Japanese. They are:

1. 何で (nande).
2. どうして (doushte).
3. なぜ (naze).

These three words all mean “why” in Japanese and can be used when enquiring about the cause, reason, or purpose of something.

However, they each have specific differences and it’s important to be able to distinguish between them.

Generally speaking, 何で (nande) is mostly informal. It’s best used when speaking with friends.

どうして (doushte) can be either formal or informal. However, it is a slightly more ‘weighted’ way of asking someone “why”, meaning that you convey a little more emotion when you use it.

The third word, なぜ (naze) is a formal way of saying “why” in Japanese. You’ll mainly see it appear in academic writing, books, poetry, song lyrics etc.

With that said, there are other ways to say “why” in Japanese, as well as other nuances attached to the three words listed above. Although these three are certainly some of the most commonly appearing expressions.

In this ultimate guide, you can find a list of all of the ways to say “why” in Japanese, coupled with explanations, examples and native audio for your pronunciation reference.

Why in Japanese

• Why.
  何で。
  nande.

The word 何で (nande) is one of the best ways to say “why” in Japanese.

It is mostly an informal way of asking “why” and should be used primarily when speaking with friends, family members, or those who are on the same ‘social’ level as you, such as a same-grade classmate.

You can use 何で (nande) to ask about the case, purpose or reason for something.

It is very similar to the English word for “why”. Just like the English word, you often place 何で (nande) at the beginning of a sentence when asking “why”.

How to say Why in Japanese with Examples

For instance:

• 何で日本語を勉強してる？
  nande nihongo wo benkyou shteru?
  Why are you studying Japanese?

Essentially, place 何で (nande) at the beginning of a sentence when you wish to compose a “why” question.

Should context allow it, you can also use 何で (nande) by itself to ask “why” to something, just like you would in English.

Let’s say you’re with a friend at a restaurant you’re ordering food. They tell the waiter that they’ll just have water for their drink when you’re expecting them to order some alcohol with you. You may ask them:

• え、何で？ お酒飲まないの？
  e nande? osake nomanai no?
  Huh, why? Aren’t you going to drink any alcohol?

Related: How to say No in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

Despite being a casual word, you may still hear 何で (nande) during formal speech. This is considered a little impolite (even if you attempt to make it formal by attaching ですか (desuka) to the end of the word. This would make it 何でですか (nande desuka).

Attaching ですか (desuka) transforms a sentence or phrase into a formal question. However, due to the nuances of 何で (nande), it still remains somewhat impolite even when it’s 何でですか (nande desuka).

Therefore you should avoid using 何で (nande) when speaking formally.

Use a different word (such as どうして (doushte), explained below) when you wish to ask “why” something in Japanese.

Why in Hiragana

The hiragana for 何で (nande), meaning “why” in Japanese, is なんで (nande).

As 何で (nande) is a casual word, you can write it in either hiragana or kanji as both are considered to be natural.

何で (nande) is commonly used in daily casual conversation, although you may find yourself writing (or typing) it when messaging a friend. During these situations writing 何で (nande) in hiragana is perfectly fine.

Why in Japanese Kanji

何で (nande) is a way to say “why” in Japanese that has a kanji. This kanji is 何 and means “what”. The kanji by itself is read as なに (nani), meaning “what” in Japanese.

Therefore, when you wish to ask “why” make sure that you include the で (de) that follows after 何 (nani). Otherwise, the meaning will change to “what”.

More Ways to Say Why in Japanese

• Why.
  どうして。
  doushte.

The word どうして (doushte) is the second of the three most common ways to say “why” in Japanese.

Unlike 何で (nande), どうして (doushte) can be used for both formal and informal speech.

However, when you use どうして (doushte) you’re asking with more ‘weight’ with your words. In other words, using どうして (doushte) communicates a little more emotion when you ask “why”.

You can use どうして (doushte) in many similar situations as you can 何で (nande) – to ask a for a reason, purpose or cause.

Generally, you place it at the beginning of the sentence, the same way as you would when asking “why” in English.

For instance:

• どうして泣いてるの？
  doushte naiteru no?
  Why are you crying?

As mentioned, どうして (doushte) carries a little more emotional impact. Therefore using どうして (doushte) to express extra emotion or concern can be useful.

It’s also important to note that, using the above sentence as an example, it is common to omit pronouns in Japanese.

If you are with someone who is crying, it’s obvious that you’re speaking to them when you ask them “why”.

For this reason, when the context is understood, it’s natural to drop the pronouns.

Related: How to say Happy in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

The biggest difference between どうして (doushte) and なんで (nande) is that どうして (doushte) can also be used for formal speech.

For example:

• どうして何も言わなかったのですか。
  doushte nanimo iwanakatta no desuka?
  Why didn’t you say anything?

Just like 何で (nande), you place どうして (doushte) at the beginning of a sentence to compose a why question.

Why in Japanese Formally

• Why.
  なぜ。
  naze.

The word なぜ (naze) is a way to say “why” formally in Japanese with some specific usage.

First, it’s important to know that while なぜ (naze) is a formal word, it’s not formal in the sense that it’s polite. It sounds somewhat unnatural if you use なぜ (naze) when you wish to ask someone “why” in Japanese politely with Keigo (honorific language).

なぜ (naze) is a way to say “why” strictly in the formal sense – meaning that you’ll see it used mainly in academic essays, public speeches, books, song lyrics or poetry.

You don’t want to use なぜ (naze) when speaking with friends, for instance.

To ask a senior, a teacher, manager, stranger, (or customer if you’re staff) “why” formally/politely in Japanese, you should use どうして (doushte), explained above.

On the other hand, if you’re composing song lyrics, or writing a script for a speech or essay, なぜ (naze) is the best word to use.

Formal Why – Examples

For song lyrics, you have all the freedom to use なぜ (naze) how you wish:

• なぜいないの？
  naze inai no?
  Why aren’t you here?

There aren’t any restrictions on how you use なぜ (naze) in these types of scenarios, either.

• なぜ君は私のそばにいてくれないの？
  naze kimi wa watashi no soba ni ite kurenai no?
  Why won’t you be by my side?

Related: How to say I Like You in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

Following the trend with 何で (nande) and どうして (doushte), なぜ (naze) can also be placed at the beginning of the sentence to make a “why” question.

Another way to understand なぜ (naze) is as a rational way to ask “why” in Japanese. Essentially, you can use it when you’re asking for the logic behind something. It can come across as considerably direct.

• なぜ君はお金を使い果たしたのか？
  naze kimi wa okane wo tsukai hatashta no ka?
  Why did you use up all the money?

In the above example, you’re seeking the logic behind an action. Remember, that なぜ (naze) is impolite when used in everyday conversation.

何で (nande), どうして (doushte), なぜ (naze) Difference

The three main ways to say “why” in Japanese, each has their own nuances and usage. This section serves as a summary of the most important differences between 何で (nande), どうして (doushte) and なぜ (naze) for your reference.

For a more detailed explanation and examples please see each individual listing above.

(1)

• 何で (nande)

The word 何で (nande) is a casual/informal way of saying “why” in Japanese. Using it with friends is the most natural way to use it.

It has a kanji that you may sometimes see. The kanji is 何 and means “what” in Japanese. Attaching で (de) makes it 何で (nande) and changes the meaning to “why”.

You can use 何で (nande) when speaking formally but should be avoided as it can appear impolite.

(2)

• どうして (doushte)

The word どうして (doushte) is both a casual and formal word. This means you can use it in more situations compared to 何で (nande), which is generally perceived as a casual word.

どうして (doushte) communicates more emotion when you use it to ask “why” in Japanese.

(3)

• なぜ (naze)

The word なぜ (naze) is a formal/rational way of saying “why” in Japanese. なぜ (naze) is not considered to be polite. Instead, it’s a formal way to ask “why”.

You primarily use it when writing academic pieces, essays, song lyrics, public speeches, poetry etc. Being a rational way of asking “why”, なぜ (naze) is best used to seek the logic or thought behind something.

It sounds unnatural to use なぜ (naze) when asking “why” to a friend.

Compared to どうして (doushte), なぜ (naze) carries no emotional context.

But Why in Japanese

• But why?
  でも、何で/どうして？
  demo nande/ doushte?

The literal translation for “but why” in Japanese is first to say でも (demo), and then follow it up with either 何で (nande) or どうして (doushte).

でも (demo) is a conjunction that means “but” in Japanese.

Just like in English, saying でも (demo) before asking 何で (nande) communicates an objection, uncertainty or confusion about something.

In English, we use “but” to introduce a word or phrase that contrasts with something. You use でも (demo) to do the same thing.

Sometimes we use the phrase “but why” to show that we’re seeking more information or an explanation. For example:

• でもどうしてパーティーに来なかったの？
  demo doushte pa-tei ni konakatta no?
  But why didn’t you come to the party?

Here, the speaker is asking for clarification on why the person didn’t come to the party.

Related: How to say I Don’t Know in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

If you’re really wanting to know the reason behind something, you can communicate that feeling more directly, too.

• でもどうして！ 理由を教えてよ。
  demo doushte!– riyuu wo oshiete yo! 
  But why! Tell me the reason!

The above example is quite a strong way to express your feelings of wanting to know the truth. The person you’re speaking to will feel that too and will (hopefully) tell you their reasonings.

That’s Why in Japanese

• That’s why.
  だから。
  dakara. 

The word だから (dakara) means “that’s why”,  “therefore” or “so” n Japanese. You say だから (dakara) at the beginning of a sentence to explain a reason or purpose.

It works similar to “that’s why” in English and is a great way to respond to a question or statement to give your reasoning behind something.

For instance, if someone tells you that you look pretty tired, you might say something like:

• うん。だから帰ってから寝る。
  un. dakara kaette kara neru. 
  Yeah. That’s why I’m going to sleep when I get home.

When you want to explain your past or future actions, だから (dakara) is a fantastic word to use.

As another example, imagine it’s snowing pretty hard and you’re late to class or work because of it. When you arrive someone mentions how the snow is pretty bad.

You may say:

• だから遅れたよ。
  dakra okureta yo.
  That’s why I was late.

So That’s Why in Japanese

You can also use だから (dakara) as a means to confirm a statement or to presume an answer to something.

For instance, perhaps yesterday a classmate or colleague went home unexpectedly early. Later, they tell you that they had a migraine that same day.

Similar to how we would say “so that’s why you…” in English, we can say:

• だから昨日早く帰ったの？
  dakra kinou hayaku kaetta no?
  So that’s why you went home early yesterday?

In the above example, we use だから (dakara) to explain the answer to something.

You use it when talking about past or future circumstances.

Imagine you have a friend on a super strict diet. You know they won’t touch chocolate or sweets at all! Or at least that’s what you thought until they tell you they want to buy 2 mars bars and 3 snickers bars.

You find out later that they are having a celebration. You may respond:

• だからチョコレートを買いたいんだ！珍しいと思ったよ。
  dakra chocore-to wo kaitainda! mezurashii to omotta yo. 
  So that’s why you want to buy chocolate! I did think it was unusual for you.

Having just worked out the reasoning behind something, you express your findings or thoughts with だから (dakara).

Why Do you Ask in Japanese

Saying “why do you ask” in Japanese can be done one of two ways.

The first way simply involves using 何で (nande) as a response to somebody’s question. We learned that 何で (nande) is one of the ways that mean “why” in Japanese. But the words’ meaning and nuances can stretch to mean “why do you ask” also.

The second, and more literal way of asking someone, is to use:

• Why do you ask?
  何で聞くの？
  nande kiku no?

Note that this can come across as somewhat direct.

We know that 何で (nande) means “why” in Japanese.

The second word, 聞く (kiku) is a verb that means “to ask” or “to listen” in Japanese.

The final の (no) is an optional addition that adds a little more emotion to your words.

This sentence is a casual way of saying “why do you ask” in Japanese.

You can add more words to this phrase, too. For example, you can specify the matter or thing that the person is asking you about.

• 何でそれを聞くの？
  nande sore wo kiku no?
  Why do you ask that?

Just like in English, each phrase conveys slightly different nuances depending on which version you use.

Why Are You Asking?

You can use the template of this phrase to change it to a continuous phrase, too.

• Why are you asking?
  何で聞いている？
  nande kiite iru?

The word 聞いている (kiite iru) is the present continuous form of 聞く(kiku). This means that 聞いている (kiite iru)  means “asking”, and 聞く(kiku) means “to ask”.

In English, we use the two phrases “why do you ask” and “why are you asking” somewhat interchangeably. In Japanese, this is similar.

The Reason Why Is… in Japanese

To give a reason for something using the phrase “the reason why is…” in Japanese, we have to use an N3 Grammar point.

There are two grammar points we can use to say this. They are:

(1)

• The reason why is…
  なぜかというと…からだ。
  naze ka toiu to… kara da.

And:

(2)

• The reason why is…/because.
  なぜなら。
  nazenara.

なぜかというと (naze ka toiu to) Japanese Grammar

なぜかというと (naze ka toiu to) is an  N3 grammar point that quite literally translates to: “if I had to say why then…”

Out of the two phrases, なぜかというと (naze ka toiu to) is on the less-formal end of the scale.

The first part of this grammar is なぜか (naze ka), an adverb that means “somehow” or “for some reason” in Japanese.

Secondly, the という (toiu) that follows なぜか (naze ka) in なぜかというと (naze ka toiu to) is an expression verb that means “to say” in Japanese. Sometimes, you may see it written in kanji as と言う (to iu). To clarify, 言 is the kanji for “say” or “speak”.

The final と (to) is one of the four ways to say “if” in Japanese. Use this “if” to say that something is absolute if it happens. Use it to say things like:

• ボタンを押すとおつりがでる。
  botan wo osu to otsuri ga deru.. 
  If you push the button change will come out.

Just like in the example, you use と (to) to describe something that is definite or 99.9% expected.

In conclusion, the addition of the final と (to) at the end of なぜかというと (naze ka toiu to) adds an “if” nuance to the construction of this grammar point.

Breaking down the grammar point like this may help you understand it. However, it’s not always necessary.

Instead, it’s important to understand the entire phrase なぜかというと (naze ka toiu to) as a way to say “the reason why is…” in Japanese.

なぜかというと (naze ka toiu to) Examples

Place なぜかというと (naze ka toiu to)  at the beginning of the sentence to compose a sentence that begins with “the reason why is”.

You use this grammar point when you wish to express a reason for something.

You can say things like:

• なぜかというと甘いものが好きだからです。
  naze ka toiu to amaimono ga suki dakara desu. 
  The reason why is because I like sweet things.

When you use this grammar point to give a reason for something, you should end the sentence with から (kara).

The best way to understand から (kara) is to remember it as a way to say “because” in Japanese. By itself, から (kara) is an N5 beginner grammar point.

Remember that should the word preceding から (kara) be a na-adjective or noun, you need to include だ (da) between the word and から (kara).

To clarify, use なぜかというと (naze ka toiu to) when the item/thing you’re giving a reason or explanation for has already been mentioned.

Another example:

• なぜかというと疲れたからです。
  naze ka toiu to tsukareta kara desu. 
  The reason why is because I was tired.

In this example, the reason is given because of something that happened in the past. なぜかというと (naze ka toiu to) is a tool you can use to introduce that reason/explanation.

For more information on how と (to) functions in this sentence, I recommend this video by Misa.

なぜなら Explanation

The second way to say “the reason why is” in Japanese is to use なぜなら (nazenara).

This is mostly a formal phrase, therefore is best used in such situations.

• なぜなら彼が招待したからです。
  nazenara kare ga shoutai shta kara desu.
  The reason why is because he invited me.

You also place なぜなら (nazenara) at the beginning of a sentence to introduce a reason or explanation for something.

Similarly, it’s important to include から (kara) at the end of the explanation/reason phrase to complete the sentence properly.

As mentioned, から (kara) is a beginner’s grammar point that means “because” in Japanese.

Why Not in Japanese

• Why not?
  いいんじゃない？
  iinjanai?

Use いいんじゃない (iinjanai) to say “why not” in Japanese. This phrase is fantastic to use as a response to encourage or prompt someone to do something.

If someone asks your opinion on if you think they should do something or not, you can use this phrase. In short, using いいんじゃない (iinjanai) is a way to express your approval of something.

An example conversation:

• ね、今夜のパーティーに行っていいかな？
  ne, konya no pa-tei- ni itte ikana?
  Hey, I wonder if it’s okay if I go to tonight’s party… (?)

In the above question, the person is seeking another’s opinion.

The response:

• うん。いいんじゃない？
  un. iinjanai?
  Yeah. Why not.

This phrase いいんじゃない (iinjanai) consists of three elements.

Firstly いい (ii) which means “good” in Japanese.

Related: How to say Good in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

Secondly, ん (n) is an optional addition which makes the phrase more natural and somewhat more considerate.

ん (n) adds slightly more emotion to your words.

The final じゃない (janai) is an expression that you use at the end of a sentence. It has a few meanings.  It functions as an expression that means “is not” or “am not” while also a tool that’s used to confirm the response being made.

I’ve written more about this word in detail in this guide: How to say No in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

In short, じゃない (janai) is used to confirm information in the sense of “isn’t it”?. By attaching it to いい (ii), (meaning “good” in Japanese) we can understand いいんじゃない (iinjanai) to mean “good, isn’t it?” in a literal translation.

Note that this is a casual phrase, and should only be used between friends. To make it formal, attach ですか (desuka) to the end, making it:

• いいんじゃないですか。
  iinjanai desuka.
  Why not. (formal).

Why That Much? in Japanese

To emphasise an element of surprise when expressing “why” in Japanese, use the following phrase:

• Why that much?
  何でそんなに？
  nande sonna ni?

We know that 何で (nande) is one of the standard ways to say “why” in Japanese.

You can use そんなに (sonna ni) to express something that is a lot in quantity. A great way to understand そんなに (sonna ni) is to interpret it as “that much”.

For instance, we can form the sentence:

• 何でそんなに日本語を勉強したいの？
  nande sonna ni nihongo wo benkyou shtai no?
  Why do you want to study Japanese that much/badly?

A question that would certainly have many answers, indeed.

What makes you passionate about the Japanese language?

One of the reasons for me is The Legend of Zelda!

Looking at the original Japanese text of the Zelda games to uncover secrets and new insights into the lore and story is truly fascinating.

Join me on my YouTube channel where we delve into the Japanese versions of the Zelda games!

Want more How-To Japanese guides?

View all [Ultimate How-To Japanese Guides]

Recommended:

How to say Happy in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

How to say Thank You in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

The best way to express your longing for someone and say “I miss you” in Japanese is to use 会いたい (aitai).

The word 会いたい (aitai) literally translates as “I want to meet you”, but it’s most commonly understood as meaning “I want to see you”. This is the best and most common way to express that you miss someone in Japanese.

I say “way to express” because there is no perfect one-to-one literal translation for “I miss you” in Japanese.  The closest we get to a perfect translation is with 会いたい (aitai).

With that said, the meaning and nuances associated with 会いたい (aitai) are not limited to “I want to meet you”.

While 会いたい (aitai) communicates a desire to see someone, it also connotes a sense of loneliness.

To text your partner “I miss you” in Japanese, for instance, simply saying 会いたい (aitai) is the most natural way to do it.

Furthermore, as 会いたい (aitai) does carry these additional connotations, the implications of “I miss you” can be understood and felt even though the exact words “I miss you” were not spoken.

There are also so many other ways to convey the words “I miss you” in Japanese through other expressions and phrases.

This ultimate guide explains in detail how to say “I miss you” in Japanese with 会いたい (aitai), and with other expressions. All entries are coupled with native audio pronunciation for your reference.

I Miss You in Japanese

• I miss you.
  会いたい。
  aitai.

When you miss someone, the best word you can use to express the feeling is to say 会いたい (aitai), which means “I want to see you”.

You can use 会いたい (aitai) to tell someone that you’re close to, such as a partner, or boyfriend/girlfriend, that you miss them. You should generally use it with those who you are close with.

With that said, telling your parents that you miss them with 会いたい (aitai) may be considered slightly strange. This is because saying “I miss you” to your parents is not something that’s done often in Japanese culture.

You could say it to a sibling if you are really close to them.

This is mainly because of how heavy a word 会いたい (aitai) can be when you want to tell someone you miss them.

You can say it to friends, however, when you say 会いたい (aitai) to someone, they may interpret your words to mean that you have a romantic interest in them. This is especially true if the person you’re saying “I miss you” to already has romantic feelings for you.

Related: How to say I Like You in Japanese [Ultimate Guide]. 

Therefore 会いたい (aitai) is best used with partners. Saying it to a friend may communicate something more than friendship, depending on your relationship with that friend.

会いたい (aitai) Examples

You can use it just like that to tell someone you miss them. You could even use their name to make it more personal For instance:

• [name]! 会いたいよ。
  [name]! aitai yo.
  [name]! I miss you!

Replace [name] with the person’s name to whom you’re speaking. Attaching よ (yo) to the end of the sentence is an optional addition.

よ (yo) adds emphasis to the expression. It essentially functions similarly to the (!); the exclamation mark we use in English.

In short, attaching the optional よ (yo) emphasises your longing to meet someone.

Another expression you may hear, especially in Japanese Anime or TV shows is the phrase:

• 会いたいな。
  aitai na.
  I miss you (I wish I could see you).

You may hear 会いたい (aitai) with な (na) attached to the end of the expression. The な (na) adds an element of “wishing” or “hoping” when you communicate “I miss you” with 会いたい (aitai) in Japanese.

In essence, attaching な (na) exaggerates how much you wish or hope you could see someone.

Therefore 会いたいな (aitai na) can be translated as “I wish I could see you, I miss you” in Japanese.

Related: How to say I Hope & Hope in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

会いたい (aitai) Meaning

The word 会いたい (aitai) can be literally translated as “I want to meet you”, although it’s best understood as meaning “I want to see you”.

The kanji for 会いたい (aitai) is 会 which means “meet, meeting, party, association”.

会いたい (aitai) is made up of two parts.

The first part is 会い (ai), which is the ます (masu) stem of the verb 会う (au), which means “to meet”.

The second part is たい (tai) which is beginner N5 grammar that is used to express a desire or wish using verbs in Japanese.

To express a desire using verbs in Japanese, we have to use たい (tai). Here’s a quick guide on how to make and use the たい (tai) form and express “want” using verbs in Japanese.

1. Firstly, take a verb. For example, 食べる (taberu). The verb for “eat” in Japanese.
2. Secondly, change the verb into the ます (masu) mass form. Therefore, 食べる (taberu) becomes 食べます (tabemasu).
3. Remove the ます (masu) from 食べます (tabemasu). It becomes 食べ (tabe).
4. Finally, attach たい (tai) to the verb. 食べ (tabe) becomes 食べたい (tabetai); meaning “I want to eat”.

The same can be applied to the verb “to meet” in Japanese.

The verb is 会う (au), which, in ます (masu) form becomes 会います (aimasu).

Remove the ます (masu) from 会います (aimasu) and it becomes 会い (ai).

Attach たい (tai) to あい (ai), and it becomes 会いたい (aitai), meaning “I want to meet/I want to see” in Japanese.

It may also be worth knowing that 会いたい (aitai) functions as an i-adjective when conjugating it.

You in Japanese

As you may have noticed, you can say 会いたい (aitai) to someone to express how you miss them, without including any pronouns.

This is because pronouns are dropped in Japanese when the context is clear.

The full phrase “I miss you in Japanese” would be:

• 私はあなたに会いたい。
  watashi wa anata ni aitai.
  I miss you (with pronouns).

However, this expression sounds unnatural for a number of reasons.

Firstly, is the use of あなた (anata). The word あなた (anata) is the most direct translation of the pronoun “you” in Japanese.

Yet when speaking the language, it’s much more common and natural to use the person’s actual name, rather than addressing them with the pronoun “you”. This means you will have to know the person’s name to address them in Japanese.

There are some rare exceptions to this rule, however. If you are a customer in a store, for instance, you’ll most likely be addressed as お客様 (okyaku sama), in place of the pronoun “you”.

Yet, I doubt you’ll find yourself in the position of a customer service representative who’s finding themself wanting to tell a customer “I miss you” in Japanese. So I don’t think it’ll be an issue!

In Japanese, あなた (anata) is used to address one’s significant other. A wife may call their husband あなた (anata), for example.

In these scenarios, using あなた (anata) to specify that it’s your significant other you miss, would be natural.

With that said, the easiest and best way to tell someone you miss them using pronouns is to use their name!

I recommend this video for a deeper dive into the nuances and connotations associated with あなた (anata) and Japanese pronouns in general.

Saying “I” in Japanese

Secondly, the use of 私 (watashi) may also be considered unnatural.

This is also because when you say 会いたい (aitai) to someone in Japanese, it’s already obvious that you are the one who is missing them. Specifying that it’s you who is missing them can sound unnatural and redundant.

I Miss You So Much in Japanese

• I miss you so much.
  すごく会いたい。
  sugoku aitai.

Use this expression to say “I miss you so much” in Japanese. This expression is made up of two components.

The last part of the expression, 会いたい (aitai) is the same word that’s explained in detail in entry #1 above. It means “I miss you” in Japanese.

The inclusion of すごく (sugoku) makes the expression much more powerful. It amplifies how much you’re longing for someone.

すごく (sugoku) is an adverb that originates from the word すごい (sugoi), which means “great, awesome, incredible, amazing”.

Therefore すごく (sugoku), being an adverb, has the meaning of “amazingly” or “immensely”.

Pairing すごく (sugoku) with 会いたい (aitai) communicates “I miss you” but to a much greater extent.

In essence, we can understand すごく会いたい (sugoku aitai) to mean “I miss you immensely” or “I miss you so much”.

For instance, you might text your partner:

• もうすぐ帰るの？ すごく会いたい。
  mousugu kaeru no? sugoku aitai.
  Are you coming home soon? I miss you so much.

It goes without saying that this is a very strong expression. For that reason, it’s best reserved for partners.

I Really Miss You in Japanese

Another way to express how much you miss someone in Japanese is with the expression 本当に会いたい (hontou ni aitai).

We’ve covered 会いたい (aitai) to mean “I miss you” in Japanese, as explained above.

Saying 本当に (hontou ni) before 会いたい (aitai) is an alternate way to express how much you miss someone to a great extent.

• ね…本当に会いたい。
  ne…hontou ni aitai.
  Hey…I really miss you.

This is because 本当に (hontou ni) means “really”, or “truly” in Japanese.

Therefore when you use this complete expression and tell someone 本当に会いたい (hontou ni aitai), you’re communicating how you’re really longing for them. You truly miss them.

An additional way to communicate how much you really miss someone is with 早く (hayaku).

早く (hayku) is another word you can place before 会いたい (aitai) to exaggerate the meaning. 早く (hayku) is an adverb/noun that originates from 早い (hayai), an i-adjective that means “fast”, “quick”, “rapid”, “soon” or “early”.

The adverb/noun 早く (hayaku), means “quickly” or “soon”.

• 早く会いたい。
  hayaku aitai.
  I miss you (I want to see you soon/I want to hurry and see you).

For that reason, 早く会いたい (hayaku aitai) has a unique nuance that conveys a stronger desire to see someone soon/quickly.

I Miss You Too in Japanese

• I miss you too.
  私も会いたい。
  watashi mo aitai.

To respond to someone who has told you that they miss you, (assuming the feelings are mutual) you can say 私も会いたい (watashi mo aitai), meaning “I miss you too” in Japanese.

A typical response may look something like this:

• 私も会いたい。ずっとそばにいてほしい。
  watashu mo aitai. zutto soba ni ite hoshii.
  I miss you too. I want you to always be by my side.

You may have noticed that this expression contains the 私 (watashi), “I” pronoun. I mentioned before that pronouns are generally omitted in Japanese as it sounds more natural.

However, the usage of 私 (watashi), the pronoun for “I” in Japanese, is necessary here to communicate the words “I miss you too”.

This is because we need to follow 私 (watashi) with も (mo) which is a grammar particle that means “also, too, as well” in Japanese.

You use も (mo) to say “this too”, or “this also” in Japanese. Therefore も (mo) needs a preceding noun to function.

In the case of 私も会いたい (watashi mo aitai), meaning “I miss you too”, the preceding noun is 私 (watashi). In essence, it’s you.

This means that we can make the sentence:

• 私も。
  watashi mo.
  Me too.

Which you could also use as a response to someone who has just told you they miss you. Although, they might be expecting you to relay the full phrase back “I miss you, too”, rather than simply saying “me too”.

I Will Miss You in Japanese

• I will miss you.
  もう会いたい。
  mou aitai.

Let’s say you’re about to say goodbye to someone. You want to communicate that you are going to miss them when they do go.

To say “I will miss you” in Japanese, use もう会いたい (mou aitai).

This expression is made of two components. The second is 会いたい (aitai), meaning “I miss you” (fully explained in the earlier entries).

Preceding 会いたい (aitai) is もう (mou), an adverb that means “already, before long, by now” in Japanese.

In the expression, もう会いたい (mou aitai), the もう (mou) can be understood as meaning “already”. Interpreting it this way gives the expression the literal meaning of “I already miss you”.

Perhaps your partner is leaving tomorrow for a few weeks to go on a trip. The night before you may say something like this:

• 明日行くよね。もう会いたいよ。
  ashita iku yo no. mou aitai yo.
  You’re going tomorrow, aren’t you? I will/already miss you.

To reiterate, use よ (yo) at the end of a sentence to emphasise the preceding words.

Attaching よ (yo) in the above example conveys a stronger sense of longing, as opposed to omitting it. With that said, よ (yo) is optional, and it’s fine to drop it!

I Missed You in Japanese

• I missed you.
  会いたかった。
  aitakatta.

Your loved one has just returned and they are back in the warmth of your arms. You are apart no more, and I’m sure you’re feeling overjoyed!

During this moment you may tell them 会いたかった (aitakatta), meaning “I missed you” in Japanese.

The biggest difference with this expression is the change of tense. To put it simply, 会いたかった (aitakatta) is the past tense of 会いたい (aitai), meaning “I miss you”.

Of course, being in the past tense, you should only use this expression when talking about something that happened in the past.

This is because you’re specifically communicating that your missing that person was a feeling you had.

It’s naturally assumed that that feeling has been erased now that you have been reunited (which is when you would use 会いたかった (aitakatta).

I Missed You So Much in Japanese

• I missed you so much.
  ずっと会いたかった。
  zutto aitakatta.

If you’re feeling particularly overjoyed when being reunited with your partner for the first time in a while, you may wish to communicate how much you’ve truly missed them all this time.

By pairing ずっと (zutto) with 会いたかった (aitakatta), we compose the expressionずっと会いたかった (zutto aitakatta), which means “I missed you so much” in Japanese.

This is a powerful expression you can use for special moments when you and your partner are finally back together in person again.

The word ずっと (zutto) is what makes this expression so meaningful. ずっと (zutto) means “the whole time, all this time, all the way” in Japanese.

Use ずっと (zutto) to refer to a specific continuous state that has remained unchanged for an extended period of time.

The best way to interpret the meaning of ずっと (zutto) is as “for a long time”. Therefore when you connect it with 会いたかった (aitakatta), you express how you’ve missed the person for a prolonged duration.

It’s also possible to increase the number of times you say ずっと (zutto) in this expression.

• ずっと、ずっと会いたかった。
  zutto, zutto aikatta. 
  I’ve missed you so so much.

You can also substitute the ずっと (zutto) for すごく (sugoku), the meaning of which is explained above in an earlier entry that covers “I miss you so much” in Japanese.

I Miss Him in Japanese

• I miss him.
  彼に会いたい。
  kare ni aitai.

You can also use 会いたい (aitai) to specify who it is that you’re missing. If the person you miss is male, you can use 彼に会いたい (kare ni aitai).

This phrase is particularly useful when you’re talking to someone else about the person you miss.

• ああ~...彼に会いたい。
  aa~… kare ni aitai.
  Ahh… I miss him.

彼 (kare) is the word for “him” in Japanese.

Following 彼 (kare) comes に (ni), a grammar particle that, in this case, marks the preceding word as the object of the upcoming verb.

In short, に (ni) marks 彼 (kare) as the thing that the verb is doing. To clarify, 彼 (kare), aka “him”, is the “thing” that’s being “missed”.

You always use に (ni) when talking about someone you miss, or someone you will meet with 会う (au) in Japanese.

I Miss My Boyfriend in Japanese

If the person you miss is your boyfriend, you can communicate that in Japanese too.

The word for boyfriend in Japanese is 彼氏 (kareshi).

Following the same structure as the above entry, we substitute the word 彼 (kare), meaning “him”, for 彼氏 (kareshi), meaning boyfriend.

Therefore to be specific and say you miss your boyfriend in Japanese, use the following phrase:

• 彼氏に会いたい。
  kareshi ni aitai.
  I miss my boyfriend.

Note that it is possible to replace the word 彼氏 (kareshi) with the person’s actual name.

This would make it:

• [name] に会いたい。
  [name] ni aitai.
  I miss [name].

I Miss Her/My Girlfriend in Japanese

• I miss her.
  彼女に会いたい。
  kanojo ni aitai.

If the person you miss is female, you can specify with the phrase 彼女に会いたい (kanojo ni aitai).

彼女 (kanojo) means “her” or “girlfriend” in Japanese. Be careful in that there is no way to clearly distinguish the difference between the two meanings; “her” and “girlfriend”. The word 彼女 (kanojo) can mean both.

Therefore when you refer to someone using 彼女 (kanojo) in conversation, misunderstandings could happen, especially if the person you’re speaking with doesn’t know you very well.

Generally speaking, however, when you use 彼女 (kanojo) in a sentence to talk about them as the person you miss, it will be assumed that you are in a relationship.

This is because the word 会いたい (aitai) is generally used when speaking about partners as previously mentioned. People will naturally assume you’re together when you address the person you miss as 彼女 (kanojo).

The phrase 彼女に会いたい (kanojo ni aitai) generally follows the same grammatical structure as “I miss my boyfriend”, explained above.

The に (ni) functions to mark the preceding word as the object that the verb is doing. In essence, “she” (the object in the sentence and the verb is doing) is the one being “missed” (the verb).

More Ways to Express I Miss You in Japanese

• I miss you (I’m lonely).
  寂しい。
  sabishii.

There are other ways to express “I miss you” in Japanese without using 会いたい (aitai).

One of these alternatives is with 寂しい (sabishii).

You can use 寂しい (sabishii) to communicate that you miss someone and that you desire their company.

The word 寂しい (sabishii) is an i-adjective that means “lonely” in Japanese. The kanji in 寂しい (sabishii)  is 寂 which also denotes loneliness or mellowness.

At the beginning of this guide, I mentioned that it’s natural to omit pronouns (you & I) in Japanese. You also omit them when using 寂しい (sabishii) to express how you miss someone.

This means that simply saying 寂しい (sabishii) to someone is enough to communicate the full sentence “I’m lonely” in Japanese, without using any pronouns.

Furthermore, the term 寂しい (sabishii) is often used to indirectly express that you miss someone.

If someone were to tell you that they are 寂しい (sabishii) it’s very probable that they are missing you.

• いつまた会えるの？ 寂しいよ。
  itsu mata aeru no? sabishii yo. 
  When can we meet again? I miss you (I’m lonely).

Using the above sentence as an example, 寂しい (sabishii) can also be paired with よ (yo) to enhance the meaning of the word.

It’s an optional addition that you can use to communicate an extra level of emotion when telling someone you miss them.

Sometimes Japanese speakers may use the word さみしい (samishii). This word is the same as 寂しい (sabishii).

While さみしい (samishii) is the phonetically incorrect way to pronounce 寂しい (sabishii), many people choose to use it in daily conversation anyway. It has become somewhat of a culturally accepted way to pronounce the word.

More Ways to Express I Missed You in Japanese

Putting the word 寂しい (sabishii) into the past tense turns the meaning into “I missed you” (lit. I was lonely) in Japanese.

The past tense of 寂しい (sabishii) is 寂しかった (sabishikatta).  Similarly to the nuance and functions of the present tense 寂しい (sabishii), the past tense version can also be used without any pronouns.

Simply saying to someone 寂しかった (sabishikatta) communicates that you missed them and that you were lonely.

• 寂しかった。
  sabishikatta. 
  I missed you.

You might use 寂しかった (sabishikatta) when you’ve finally been reunited with your partner after a long period of time without each other.

As 寂しかった (sabishikatta) is in the past tense, you express that you were lonely and you missed the person when you didn’t see them.

Using 寂しかった (sabishikatta) is the same as telling someone that you missed them in English, only with the added nuance of feeling lonely.

Related: How to say Soul and Soulmate in Japanese [Ultimate Guide].

I Miss Your Voice in Japanese

• I miss your voice.
  [name] の声を聞きたい。
  [name] no koe wo kikitai.

While you might miss the person themselves, you may also miss hearing their voice.

Telling someone that you miss their voice can be a romantic thing to do, and you can communicate that in Japanese!

Firstly, when telling someone that you miss their voice, you should address the person by their actual name (even when you’re speaking to that person directly).

This is because the best and natural way to say “you” or “your” in Japanese is to use the person’s name.

Therefore, begin this phrase with the person’s name, and attach の (no). This would make it [name]の.

の (no) is the possessive grammar particle that connects two nouns together. The noun preceding の (no) is the person’s name, and the noun following の (no) is 声 (koe), meaning “voice” in Japanese.

Saying [name] の声 ([name] no koe) is the same as saying “[name]’s voice” in Japanese.

Next comes を (wo), another grammar particle that identifies the verb’s object; the person or thing to which the action is performed.

In this case, the object is the person’s voice and the verb is the final component in the sentence: 聞きたい (kikitai).

The verb 聞きたい (kikitai) means “want to hear” in Japanese. The たい (tai) is the same たい (tai) as the one in 会いたい (aitai). To clarify, たい (tai) is a beginner’s grammar point that is used to express a desire or wish to do something.

In short, the phrase [name] の声を聞きたい ([name] no koe wo kikitai) literally means “I want to hear [name]’s voice”.

However, while this phrase does grammatically translate as wanting to hear someone’s voice, it also connotes a true feeling of longing; a desire for their voice.

I Miss Your Smile/Laugh in Japanese

• I miss your smile/laugh.
  [name] の笑顔をみたい。
  [name] no egao wo mitai.

While telling someone you miss their voice may be considered romantic, telling them you miss their smile or laugh could be even more so.

The grammatical structure of this sentence follows the exact same structure as “I miss your voice” in Japanese, explained above, just with different words. Read the above entry for a deeper explanation of the composure of the grammar in this sentence!

You can use this phrase to express how you miss someone’s laugh or smile. In Japanese, address the person whose laugh/smile you miss by their actual name (even when speaking to that person directly) instead of “you”.

笑顔 (egao) means “smiling face” or “smile” in Japanese. We know that の (no) is the possesive grammar particle that connects two nouns together.

Therefore saying the person’s name followed by の (no) and then 笑顔 (egao) would make: [name]の笑顔 ([name] no egao). This means “[name]’s smile” in Japanese.

The verb in this sentence is みたい (mitai), which is the たい (tai) form of みる (miru), meaning “to see”. The たい (tai) form is used to express a desire or wish, hence, みたい (mitai) means “want to see” in Japanese.

The literal translation of this phrase is “I want to see your smile”.

Yet, similar to saying “I want to hear your voice” in Japanese, expressing a desire to see someone’s smile has very close nuances to the English phrase “I miss your smile”.

In short, when you miss seeing someone’s smile, use this phrase to express that to them in Japanese!

I Miss You in Japanese Using Google Translate

Translating “I Miss you” or “I miss…” from English to Japanese using Google Translate will tell you that 恋しい (koishii) is the word you need.

However, the word 恋しい (koishii) is primarily used for objects and places, rather than for people.

Perhaps you’ve been away from home for a while and you miss your mother’s cooking. You may say:

• 母の料理が恋しい。
  haha no ryouri ga koishii. 
  I miss mum’s cooking.

In essence, use 恋しい (koishii) to describe something that you miss, rather than for someone who you miss.

You can place any noun and attach ~が恋しい (ga koishii) to say that you miss it in Japanese.

If you’re feeling nostalgic about your visit to Japan, for instance, you can express that using ~が恋しい (ga koishii).

• 日本が恋しい。
  nihon ga koishii. 
  I miss Japan.

You also don’t need to include any pronouns (I) when using this phrase!

Another example! Perhaps you miss getting out and adventuring:

• 旅行が恋しい。
  ryokou ga koishii. 
  I miss travelling.

Maybe you miss cold weather:

• 寒い天気が恋しい。
  samui tenki ga koishii. 
  I miss the cold weather.

I Miss When… in Japanese

There may be occasions when something feels nostalgic to you and you miss it. You can express nostalgia with:

• 懐かしい。
  natsukashii. 
  Nostalgic.

Use the word 懐かしい (natsukashii) to describe something that you fondly remember, something that’s dear to you or something that is beloved.

Perhaps you’ve recently moved house and you’re feeling nostalgic about the old one.

• 前の家が懐かしい。
  mae no ie ga natsukashii. 
  The old house is nostalgic (I miss the old house).

When you describe something as 懐かしい (natsukashii) in Japanese, you indicate that you remember it fondly, perhaps so much so that you kind of miss it.

• ここ、懐かしい！
  koko natsukashii. 
  This place brings back memories!

Use 懐かしい (natsukashii) for those situations!

I Miss You Dearly in Japanese

The verb 慕う (shitau) is another word that appears frequently when using translation tools for “I miss you” in Japanese.

It is an old-fashioned way to say “I miss you dearly” in Japanese. It used to be an elegant/traditional way to express love or longing for someone. However, this is now an old meaning and thus is dated.

In more recent times, 慕う (shitau) is used when you find yourself attached to someone.

It’s not used to describe a relationship between partners or love, but rather to describe someone you idolise, someone you look up to.

• 祖父を慕ってる！
  sofu wo shtatteru. 
  I adore/idolise my grandfather.

You’ll often see 慕う (shitau) used to express a feeling towards a parent or close relative.

I Miss Japan!

• 日本が恋しい！
  nihon ga koishii!
  I miss Japan!

Japan is a wonderful place to visit, and it’s even better if you can converse in the language!

We have a collection of Ultimate How-To Japanese guides to help you learn Japanese! [View All Ultimate Guides]

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