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.
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.
- Firstly, take a verb. For example, 食べる (taberu). The verb for “eat” in Japanese.
- Secondly, change the verb into the ます (masu) mass form. Therefore, 食べる (taberu) becomes 食べます (tabemasu).
- Remove the ます (masu) from 食べます (tabemasu). It becomes 食べ (tabe).
- 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!
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Believe it or not, answering the question of how to say “I miss you“ in Japanese is by far one of the most difficult things I’ll have to do for you. There are a few Japanese words and phrases you can use to express that you miss someone, but none of them feels quite right. You will immediately understand what I mean when you get to know the most natural Japanese phrase to say “I miss you“.
Aitai (会いたい) is the most common expression to say “I miss you” in Japanese. It literally translates as “I want to see you” or “I want to meet you” in English, though. Other phrases as for example “Sabishi” (寂しい) which actually means “I’m lonely” can also be used to tell someone that you miss them.
Below you will find a few other words and expressions that can be used to say “I miss you” in Japanese including “Aitakute” (会いたくて) and “Koishii” (恋しい). I have also covered other similar expressions such as “I will miss you“, “I miss you too“, “I miss you so much“, and “I miss him/her“.
Japanese are usually not that open about their emotions. Even among lovers, family members, and friends, they prefer to show their feelings and affection instead of talking about them. That’s in my opinion the reason why in Japanese there is no real expression for “I miss you“.
The most natural way you can tell someone that you miss them is by telling them that you want to meet them. So Japanese people use the word “Aitai” (会いたい) which means “want to meet” or “want to see” to express the English phrase “I miss you“.
As you can see in the list below there are a couple of other words that can be used to say “I miss you” in Japanese. However, they are either not frequently used in daily life or rather express loneliness and the wish to meet up. None of them comes close to the English expression “missing someone”.
- Aitai (会いたい) – “I miss you” or “I want to see you”
- Aitakute (会いたくて) – “I miss you” or “I wish I could see you”
- Koishii (恋しい) – “I miss you” or “I’m longing for you”
- Sabishii (寂しい) – “I’m lonely” or “I miss you”
- Samishii (寂しい) – “I’m lonely” or “I miss you”
1. Aitai – “I Miss You”, “I Want to See You”
The Japanese word “Aitai” (会いたい) means “want to meet“. Since it is common to omit the subject and object there is no need to say “I” (watashi, 私) and “You” (anata, あなた or kimi, 君). So just the word “Aitai” means “I miss you“. However, you can say “Anata ni aitai” (あなたに会いたい) to a guy or “Kimi ni aitai” (君に会いたい) to a woman.
Aitai.
会いたい。
I miss you.Aitai desu.
会いたいです。
I miss you (polite)Anata ni aitai.
あなたに会いたい。
I miss you (to a man)Kimi ni aitai.
君に会いたい。
I miss you (to a woman)
2. Aitakute – “I Miss You”, “I Wish I Could See You”
A very similar word is “Aitakute” (会いたくて) which can be translated as “I miss you” or “I wish I could see“. It expresses not only the desire that you want to see someone but also that it is not possible to meet right now. You can think of it as “I (really) want to see/meet you but unfortunately, I can’t“. It can also be written as 逢いたくて which is the more romantically kanji.
Aitakute…
会いたくて…
I miss you…Anata ni aitakute…
あなたに会いたくて。
I miss you (to a man)Kimi ni aitakute…
君に会いたくて。
I miss you (to a woman)
3. Koishii – “I Miss You”, “I’m Longing For You”
Koishii (恋しい) is a tricky word because according to dictionaries it is exactly what we are looking for and translates as “yearned for“, “longed for“, and “missed” (source). However, a lot of my Japanese friends told me that it is not really used to say that you “miss someone” but to say that you “miss something“.
I also remember that I used “koishii” once because I wanted to say “I miss you and your family” to my Japanese host mother but she only looked at me with confusion. So my personal recommendation is to use this word with care.
Koishii.
恋しい。
I miss you/it.Koishii desu.
恋しいです。
I miss you/it (polite)Inu ga koishii
犬が恋しい。
I miss my dog.Nihon ga koishii.
日本が恋しい。
I miss Japan.
4. Sabishii – “I’m lonely”, “I Miss You”
“Sabishii” (寂しい) is probably the second-best way to say “I miss you” in Japanese. It actually translates as “I’m lonely” but indicates that you want to meet the other person because you feel lonely.
Sabishii.
寂しい。
I’m lonely.Sabishii desu.
寂しいです。
I’m lonely (polite)Aenakute samishii.
会えなくて寂しい。
I feel lonely because I can’t see you.Aenakute samishii desu.
会えなくて寂しいです。
I feel lonely because I can’t see you (polite)
5. Samishii – “I’m lonely”, “I Miss You”
Samishii (寂しい) is actually the same word (kanji) but with an alternative reading. It also means “I’m lonely”, “I miss you”, or “I’m lonely so I want to see you“. Both “sabishii” and “samishii” are commonly used so you can choose the one which you prefer best.
Samishii.
さみしい。
I’m lonely.Samishii desu.
さみしいです。
I’m lonely (polite)Aenakute samishii.
会えなくてさみしい。
I feel lonely because I can’t see you.Aenakute samishii desu.
会えなくてさみしいです。
I feel lonely because I can’t see you (polite)
This is also a really good video from Japanese Ammo with Misa:
“I Missed You” in Japanese
“Sabishikatta” (寂しかった), “Samishikatta” (寂しかった), and “Aitakatta” (会いたかった) are commonly used to say “I missed you” in Japanese. They are the same words that you can use to say “I miss you” but conjugated to the past tense. “Zutto aitakatta” (ずっと会いたかった) is also used and means “I really missed you“.
Aitakatta.
会いたかった。
I missed you.Sabishikatta.
寂しかった。
I missed you.Samishikatta.
寂しかった。
I missed youZutto Aitakatta.
ずっと会いたかった。
I really missed you.
“I Will Miss You” in Japanese
“Sabishiku naru” (寂しくなる) and “Aenakute sabishiku naru” (会えなくて寂しくなる) are used to say “I will miss you” in Japanese. Both phrases acutally translate as “I’ll become lonely” and “I’ll feel lonely because I can’t see you“.
Sabishiku naru…
寂しくなる…
I will miss you…Anata ni aenakute sabishiku naru.
あなたに会えなくて寂しくなる。
I will miss you.
“I Miss You Too” in Japanese
To say “I miss you too” in Japanese you can either say “Watashi mo” (私も) which means “Me, too” or you can repeat the phrase and add yo ne (よね) to add emphasis and to show that you are agreeing with what the other person is saying. That goes for both phrases “Aitai yo ne” and “Sabishii yo ne“.
Watashi mo.
私も。
I miss you too.Aitai yo ne…
会いたいよね…
I miss you too.Sabishii yo ne…
寂しいよね…
I miss you too.
The full sentence would acutally be “Watashi mo anata ni aitai” (私もあなたに会いたい) or “Watashi mo kimi ni aitai” (私も君に会いたい). However, in Japanese the general rule is omit what you can omit.
Watashi mo anata ni aitai.
私もあなたに会いたい。
I miss you too (to a man)Watashi mo kimi ni aitai yo.
私も君に会いたいよ。
I miss you too (to a woman)
“I Miss You So Much” in Japanese
To Say “I miss you so much” or “I really miss you” in Japanaese you can use “Sugoku aitai” (すごく会いたい) or “Totemo aitai” (とても会いたい). Both words “sugoku” and “totemo” mean “really” or “so much“. Another commonly used phrase is “Ima sugu aitai” (今すぐ会いたい) which translates as “I want to see you right now“.
Sugoku aitai.
すごく会いたい。
I miss you so much.Totemo aitai desu.
とても会いたいです。
I miss you so much.Ima sugu aitai.
今すぐ会いたい。
I want to see you right now.
I have a whole article about the meaning of Sugoi and how to use it in Japanese. Since it is a very useful word which you can use to express that you are really into anime, music and other things or how amazing something or someone is, I highly recommend you to check out my blog post.
Also, if you really like anime you might also want to check out the meaning of “Sugoi dekai”. It’s the phrase from the anime “Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out” aka “Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai” that is written on Uzaki-chan’s t-shirt and a popular meme in the otaku world.
“I miss Him/Her” in Japanese
Him is “kare” (彼) and “her” is “kanojo” (彼女) in Japanese. So to say that you miss him you can say “Kare ni aitai” (彼に会いたい) or “Kare ga inakute sabishii” (彼がいなくて寂しい). In order to say that you miss her you use the phrases “Kanojo ni aitai” (彼に会いたい) or “Kanoji ga inakute sabishii” (彼女がいなくて寂しい).
Kare ni aitai.
彼に会いたい。
I miss him.Kare ga inakute sabishii.
彼がいなくて寂しい。
I miss him.Kanojo ni aitai.
彼女に会いたい。
I miss her.Kanojo ga inakute sabishii.
彼女がいなくて寂しい。
I miss her.
Kare (彼) also means “boyfriend” and kanojo (彼女) also means “girlfriend“. So you can also use the phrases to say “I miss my boyfriend” or “I miss my girlfriend“. Instead of “kare” you can also say “kareshi” (彼氏) which is usually only used to refer to one’s boyfriend.
Kareshi ni aitai.
彼氏に会いたい。
I miss my boyfriend.Kareshi ga inakute sabishii.
彼氏がいなくて寂しい。
I miss my boyfriend.Kanojo ni aitai.
彼女に会いたい。
I miss my girlfriend.Kanojo ga inakute sabishii.
彼女がいなくて寂しい。
I miss my girlfriend.
Today we are going to talk about how to say “I miss you” in Japanese. This a term that is not often used casually as it is in the west. Let’s take a look at all the different ways of saying it!
恋しい
恋しい is the most common term to appear when looking up how to say “I miss you” but is only used when referring to missing a place, food or thing but not people. Here are some examples of how the term could be used;
- 日本が恋しい。 = I miss Japan.
- すしが恋しい。 = I miss sushi.
- 日本のラーメンが恋しい。 = I miss Japanese ramen.
- 日本のゲームセンターが恋しい。 = I miss Japanese arcades.
会いたい
会いたい is a term that literally “means I want to meet”. 会い is from the ます form of the verb 会う (to meet) while the たい replaces the ます to represent “I want to”. Again, this is not said casually and is something that would be used with people close to you but not your family. If talking to your parents then you could say;
- うちが恋しい。 = I miss home.
Be careful when using this phrase with your close friends though as it could give off the wrong signal if they fancy you, even if you are being platonic.
Here are some examples of how the phrase can be used;
- みさに会いたい。 = I miss Misa. (lit. I want to meet Misa.)
- 今すぐ会いたい。 = I want to meet you right now.
- 会いたくなっちゃった。 = Missing you. (lit. I became wanting to see you. I should be more patient…)
Another way of using the 会う verb to express missing someone is by saying;
- 次会えるの（が）楽しみ。 = I’m looking forward to (lit. getting to) seeing you next time.
This is a less direct phrase and can show that you like someone but you know you aren’t at the stage of saying “I miss you” yet while still being friendly and sweet. There are many grammatical phrases within this phrase so let’s briefly take a look at them;
- 会う becomes it’s “potential form” of 会える
- The の particle is used to nominalise the verb. This is because when verbs are placed in front of particles they need to be nominalised. You can take a look at this deeper in my other lesson XXXXX.
This phrase can also be used when finally meeting the person you missed by saying;
- 会いたかったよ。 = I missed you! (lit. I wanted to meet you.)
さびしい
This phrase is another way of saying I miss you but literally translates to “I feel lonely”. A good example of using this would be;
- NAMEに会えなくて、さびしい。 = I miss you. (lit. I’m lonely because I can’t see you.)
Sometimes you will hear people pronounce this as “さみしい” which is grammatically incorrect but they do it anyway. Don’t be surprised if you hear this!
Just like 会いたい, this phrase can be used to express how much you missed someone once you see them again by saying;
- さびしかった。 = I missed you! (lit. I was lonely.)
Whereas if you were going to say goodbye;
- さびしくなるね。 = I’m going to miss you. (lit. I will be lonely.)
And there you have it, ways of saying “I miss you” in Japanese!
Thank you so much for reading this article and supporting me. Come back soon!
さびしくなるね :'(
We’ve all felt that longing to see someone whom we care deeply about. Maybe it’s a family member, perhaps a significant other, or a long time friend. Perhaps you want to tell them how you feel? What is “I miss you” in Japanese?
Well as it turns out, there’s not an exact Japanese equivalent to this phrase.
But there are a couple of ways to express the same basic emotion of wanting to see someone again.
I’m going to go over the two most common ways now and then provide you with some other ways that are possible to use, but I personally don’t see them that often.
I Miss You In Japanese
The first way that you can say that you miss someone is to rephrase is slightly and instead say that you want to see them.
When you think about it, that’s kind of what the English phrase means. That you desire to spend time together with them because you haven’t been able to for a while.
Here’s the Japanese phrase now:
- 会いたい！
- aitai!
- I miss you!
- I want to see you!
This comes from the word 会う (au) which means “to meet” someone, but when its changed into the tai-form like in the above example, it means “want to meet” or as we would say in English “want to see you” and then spend time together.
If you’re talking to that special person you like, then this is the phrase to use.
I’ve also seen this phrase used in a slightly different format before. It was when a girl reunited with her old friend in a manga and she ran over to them while yelling:
- ずっと会いたかった！
- zutto aitakatta!
- I’ve missed you so much!
- I’ve wanted to see you for so long!
This is basically the same thing, but the emphasis is stronger than the first phrase since it emphasizes the past and an emotion that has been held for an extended duration.
Another Way To Say It
The other common way to say that you miss someone in Japanese is to flip things around and instead of talking about a forward-looking emotion (i.e. wanting to see them) you talk about a backward looking feeling.
In this case, it centers around the word 寂しい (sabishii) which means “lonely.”
A lot of times Japanese people will use this word as a way of saying that they are lonely because they aren’t with the other person.
Again, this is very similar to the English phrase “I miss you” because you usually feel some sadness and lonely feelings when you can’t spend time with the one you care about.
Perhaps a longer phrase that utilized this new word can help illustrate it further.
- 君がいなくてとても寂しい。
- kimi ga inakute totemo sabishii.
- I miss you very much.
- You’re not here, and I feel very lonely.
[hinative.com]
Another common reading of the word for lonely is さみしい (samishii). This is nearly identical to the version we’ve been using so far, but instead of a び (bi) we use a み (mi) in its place.
There is also an alternative kanji for this word, but I almost never see it used. It is 淋しい and means the same thing, so just keep that in mind in case you encounter it.
Alright, let’s go onto the next part.
An English-y Way To Say It
If you try to find the phrase “I miss you” in an online Japanese dictionary like Jisho, then you might be presented with it spelled entirely in katakana.
If so, it will be アイ・ミス・ユー (ai misu yuu) which is literally just the English phrase transferred directly into the Japanese language.
What the heck, man!?
Now, I’ve never personally seen this one used so I’m not sure how common it is. Perhaps it’s just used in English class, or as the title to some sort of artistic work like an album or a book.
I’m not sure, but if any of you have every seen it used, please let me know in the comments section below.
I am genuinely curious.
A New Word For Me Too
That last word that I wanted to share with you is one that I am just learning how to use myself as well.
The word itself is 恋しい (koishii) which is an i-adjective which means “yearned for; longed for; missed.”
Honestly, I can’t for the life of me remember ever running into it while reading or listening to Japanese, so I had to do some research on it to see what I could find.
When looking at Japanese websites that teach people English, they used it in the following example:
- 孤独だよ。君のことが恋しいよ！
- kodoku da yo. kimi no koto ga koishii yo!
- I’m lonely. I miss you!
[career-picks.com]
OK, so we can get an idea of how to use it from this phrase. When you’re talking to someone you can use their name or a pronoun plus のこと (nokoto) in combination with 恋しい to say that you miss them and everything about them.
Another way that I like to learn about new words it to see what their Japanese definitions are, since they tend to paint a much more complete picture than the Japanese to English dictionaries do.
If we hop on over to goo and type it in, we get the following definition for 恋しい:
- 離れている人や場所、また事物などに強く心を引かれるさま。
A rough English translation of this would be something along the lines of:
- The state of being strongly attracted by people, places, or things that one is separated from.
This is in line with what we’ve gone over so far, but I think that one of the interesting parts is the emphasis on the “being separate” part of it.
Because of that, I think the English words “longing” and “yearning” are more apt than “miss” when it comes to understanding it.
Now I Want To Hear From You
That’s all for today’s lesson on letting people know that you miss them in Japanese.
Hopefully you’ve found the information both useful and easy to understand.
If you’ve got any questions on anything that I went over, let me know by leaving it down below.
Thanks!
“I miss you” is such a versatile expression in English. You can use it with friends, family, or a significant other. I wish we had this expression in Japanese! Unfortunately, there is no exact translation in Japanese. However, there are ways to say it with a similar nuance in Japanese. This guide will teach you the top 3 ways to say I miss you in Japanese.
In Japanese, saying “I miss you” is a little more difficult because you need to be more precise about your feelings.
When you miss someone, how do you feel? Do strong feelings of wanting to see them arise, or do you feel more lonely because of their absence? Or you might wish for that person to be somewhere close to you. The expression “I miss you” in Japanese will change depending on your feeling. Each of these words can be translated to “I miss you” in English, but the nuance and feeling of each are different.
1. 会いたい (Aitai): I Want to See You (Because I Miss You)
会いたい(aitai) means “I want to see you.” While “I want to see you” is not exactly the same as “I miss you,” it invokes the same feeling when said in Japanese. You are expressing your desire to see someone that you miss. So this expression is often translated into “I miss you” in English.
会いたい (aitai) is the tai-form of the verb 会う (au), which means “to see” or “to meet.”
This expression can be used with your friends, family, or significant other. When this is used with your friends or family, you are usually far away from the person you want to see for a period of time, so you miss seeing them.
However, when used among boyfriends/girlfriends, it doesn’t matter how long you haven’t seen each other or how far apart you are. Lovey-dovey couples may use this expression even if they saw each other a few minutes ago and will see each other again tomorrow.
Saying 会いたい (aitai) to someone lets them know that they have a special place in your heart. So you may need to be careful when using this phrase with the opposite sex. Saying this to someone can imply you have romantic or “special” feelings for them.
The past form of 会いたい (aitai) is 会いたかった (aitakatta). When you use the present form, 会いたい (aitai), you express your desire to see someone, but you haven’t met them yet. In comparison, the past form 会いたかった (aitakatta) is used at the moment when you meet that special someone. Imagine meeting that special someone at the airport, running to embrace them, and saying “I missed you” while hugging them.
Example 1:
Here is a telephone conversation between friends:
陽子: 最近どうしてる？
Yōko: (Saikin dōshiteru?)
Yoko: What’s new?
詩織: 何も変わりない生活だよ。仕事、仕事の毎日。そっちは？
Shiori: (Nani mo kawari nai seikatsu dayo. Shigoto, shigoto no mainichi. Socchi wa?)
Shiori: Nothing new at all. Every day is work, work. What about you?
陽子: うーん、こっちも変わらないかな。引っ越しでどのくらい経つ？なんか会いたいな～。
Yōko: (Ūn, kocchi mo kawaranai kana. Hikkoshite dono kurai tatsu? Nanka aitai nā.)
Yoko: Well…there’s nothing new going on with me either. How long has it been since you moved out? I want to see you (because I miss you).
詩織: ちょうど1年。ほんと、会いたい。会って色々話したい。
Shiori: (Chōdo ichinen. Honto, aitai. Atte iroiro hanashitai.)
Shiori: It’s been exactly one year. I really miss you. I want to see you and talk about a lot of things with you.
Example 2:
A telephone conversation between a lovey-dovey couple who just started dating.
良太: どうしたの、こんな夜中に。
Ryota: (Dōshita no? Konna yonaka ni.)
Ryota: What’s wrong? It’s the middle of the night.
美穂: うん、ちょっと声が聞きたくなって。
Miho: (Un, chotto koe ga kikitaku natte.)
Miho: Nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice.
良太: そっか。実は俺もそう思ってた。
Ryōta: (Sokka. Jitsu wa ore mo sō omotteta.)
Ryota: I see. Actually, I was thinking the same.
美穂: 会いたいな。昨日会ったばかりなのに、もう会いたい。
Miho: (Aitai na. Kinō atta bakari nanoni, mō aitai.)
Miho: I miss you. I just saw you yesterday, but I already miss you.
良太: うん、俺も早く会いたい。
Ryōta: (Un, ore mo hayaku aitai.)
Ryota: Me too. I miss you (and want to see you soon).
Example 3: Past Tense – 会いたかった (Aitakatta)
Here is a conversation at an airport. Midori came to pick up her friend, Sanae.
緑: 出てきた、出てきた! 早苗、こっちこっち。
Midori: (Dete kita, dete kita. Sanae, kocchi!)
Midori: She just came out. Sanae, over here!
早苗: えー、わざわざ迎えに来てくれたんだ～。
Sanae: (Ē, waza waza mukaeni kite kuretan da.)
Sanae: Wow, you came all this way to pick me up!
緑: やっと会えたね! 会いたかったよ～。
Midori: (Yatto aeta ne! Aitakatta yō.)
Midori: We meet at last! I missed you.
早苗: 私も会いたかったよ～。会えてうれしい。来てくれてありがとう。
Sanae: (Watashi mo aitakatta yō. Aete ureshii. Kite kurete arigatō.)
Sanae: I missed you too. I am happy to see you. Thank you for coming.
Using Adverbs With 会いたい (Aitai): When you REALLY Miss Somone
You can add すごく (sugoku) or めっちゃ (meccha)* to make your feelings stronger. Both すごく and めっちゃ mean “a lot,” “so much,” or “really” (as in “I really want to see you”).
In the Present Tense:
すごく会いたい。
(Sugoku aitai.)
I want to see you so bad. (I miss you so much)
めっちゃ*会いたい。
(Meccha aitai.)
I really want to see you. (I really miss you)
In the Past Tense:
1. すごく会いたかった。
(Sugoku aitakatta.)
I really wanted to see you. (I really missed you)
2. めっちゃ会いたかった。
(Meccha aitakatta.)
I really wanted to see you. (I missed you so much)
*Note: めっちゃ (meccha) is a casual word, so you shouldn’t use it in formal or business settings or when you talk to someone older than you.
会えて (Aete): The Potential Te-Form
会える (aeru) is the potential form of the verb 会う (au). 会える (aeru) translates to “I can meet/see you” (I am physically able/available to meet you). However, it is almost always used in the past tense form – 会えた (aeta) or the te-form – 会えて (aete) when talking about someone you miss.
The past tense form, 会えた (aeta), is usually used with the adverb やっと (yatto), which means “finally” or “at last.” The phrase やっと会えた (yatto aeta) has a meaning of “At last we were able to meet” or “I finally got to see you.”
The te-form is combined with adjectives to say how you feel about finally being able to meet someone.
Examples:
1. 会えてうれしい。
(Aete ureshii.)
I’m happy we could see each other (because I’ve missed you).
2. 会えなくて寂しい**。
(Aenakute sabishii/samishii.)
I feel lonely because I can’t see you (so I am missing you).
**Note: 会えなくて (aenakute) is a negative form of this verb, meaning “because I couldn’t see you.” The meaning of 寂しい (sabishii/samishii) means “lonely” but can also be used to mean “I miss you” in Japanese. We’ll talk about this word in the next section of this article.
会えたら (Aetara): Potential Tara-Form
The tara-form in Japanese is a conditional form that can mean either “if” (If I can meet you) or “when” (When I meet you). 会えたら (aetara) is the potential tara-form which means “if I am able to meet you.” Let’s take a look at how it is used.
Examples:
1. 会えたらうれしい。
(Aetara ureshii.)
I would be happy if I could see you.
2. 会えなかったら悲しい。
(Aenakattara kanashii.)
I would be sad if I couldn’t see you.
会えなかったら (aenakattara) is the negative form that means “if I am unable to see you.”
Ways to Express Stronger Feelings: I REALLY Miss You!
たまらない (tamaranai) is a useful word to know. It means “unbearable,” or “I can’t take it.” When combined with the tai-form of verbs in the te-form, it means “I’m dying to do~” or “I just can’t wait to ~.”
Present Tense:
会いたくてたまらない。
(Aitakute tamaranai.)
I’m dying to see you.
Past Tense:
会いたくてたまらなかった。
(Aitakute tamaranakatta.)
I was dying to see you.
To sound more casual, you can change the たまらない (tamaranai) to たまんない (taman-nai).
たまらない (tamaranai) and たまんない (taman-nai) have the same meaning, but the latter sounds more natural in casual conversations (with friends, family, or people you have a close relationship with).
Present Tense:
会いたくてたまんない。
(Aitakute taman-nai.)
I’m dying to see you.
Past Tense:
会いたくてたまんなかった。
(Aitakute taman-nakatta.)
I was dying to see you.
2. 寂しい (Samishii / Sabishii): I’m Lonely…I Miss You
This word can either be pronounced as “さびしい (sabishii)” or “さみしい (samishii).” They both mean “to feel lonely.” However, this also gives off the nuance of “I miss you.” “I feel lonely without you.”
さびしい/さみしい (sabishii / samishii) is often used with other verbs to explain why you feel lonely.
For Example:
会えなくてさびしい/さみしい。
(Aenakute sabishii/samishii).
I feel lonely because I can’t see you.
This expression can be used with your friends, family, or significant other. Like the expression 会いたい (aitai), saying this to someone implies that they are someone special in your life (since you are saying you feel sad or lonely without them). So be careful using this phrase lightly. Saying it to someone can imply you like them more than a friend.
The past tense of さびしい/さみしい (sabishii / samishii) is さびしかった or さみしかった (sabishikatta / samishikatta). This past tense version means “I missed you.”
さびしい/さみしい can also imply that you are lonely in general (you don’t miss anyone in particular). Because of this, it is better to specify a reason why you feel lonely or why you miss someone to make things clear.
Examples:
あなたがいなくてさびしかった / さみしかった。
(Anata ga inakute sabishikatta / samishikatta).
I was lonely because you were not here.
Example Dialogue 1:
A conversation between friends who live far from each other.
陽子: 海外での生活には慣れた？
Yōko: (Kaigai deno seikatsu niwa nareta?)
Yoko: Have you gotten used to living abroad?
詩織: うーん、まだ慣れないかな。
Shiori: (Ūn, mada narenai kana.)
Shiori: Well…not yet (getting used to).
陽子: 何が一番大変？
Yōko: (Nani ga ichiban taihen?)
Yoko: What’s the hardest thing (to get used to)?
詩織: やっぱり、日本にいる友達と会えなくて寂しい気持ちが強いかな。
Shiori: (Yappari, Nihon ni iru tomodachi to aenakute sabishii kimochi ga tsuyoi kana.)
Shiori: As I expected, I miss seeing my friends in Japan (I feel pretty lonely).
陽子: 私たちも詩織がいなくて寂しいよ。早く帰ってきて。
Yōko: (Watashitachi mo Shiori ga inakute sabishii yo. Hayaku kaette kite.)
Yoko: We miss you too. Come back soon.
Example Dialogue 2:
A conversation between work colleagues about their boss.
望: 矢野さん、今日もまた出勤してないね。
Nozomi: (Yano san, kyō mo mata shukkin shitenai ne.)
Nozomi: Mr. Yano (boss) didn’t come to work today, either.
正: 病気らしいよ。長期で休むって。
Tadashi: (Byōki rashii yo. Chōki de yasumu tte.)
Tadashi: I heard that he is sick. It seems he’s gonna be away for a while.
望: えー、そうなんだ。矢野さんって口うるさいからいっつもムカついてたんだけど、いないと寂しいもんだね。
Nozomi: (Ē, sō nanda. Yano san tte kuchiurusai kara ittsumo mukatsuitetan dakedo, inai to samishii mon da ne.)
Nozomi: Really? I was always annoyed by him because he is so annoying, but now that he’s gone, I miss him being around.
正: ほんと、いるときはうっとうしかったのに、いなくなると寂しいって不思議だね。
Tadashi: (Honto, iru toki wa uttōshikatta noni, inakunaru to samishiitte fushigi dane.)
Tadashi: That’s true. Even though he annoys us when he’s here, it’s lonely without him. It’s so weird…
望: 病気、早く良くなるといいね。
Nozomi: (Byōki hayaku yoku naru to ii ne.)
Nozomi: I hope he gets well soon.
3. ここにいてくれたらいいのに (Koko Ni Ite Kuretara Ii Noni): I Wish You Could Be Here With Me…I Miss You
ここにいてくれたらいいのに (Koko ni ite kuretara ii noni) or ここにいたらいいのに (Koko ni itara ii noni) could be translated to “It would be nice if you were here” or “I wish you could be here with me.” This can also have a nuance of “I miss you.”
Like the other expressions we’ve already covered, this can also be used with your friends, family, or significant other.
Here, the “～たら (tara) ～のに (noni)” form is used to express something you wish would happen. いい (ii) means “good” or “nice.” So ～たらいいのに (tara ii noni) means “It would be nice if ～.”
Examples:
Here is a conversation between a married couple over their daughter, who is currently traveling overseas.
美紀: 美月、元気かな?
Miki: (Mitsuki, genki kana?)
Miki: How is Mitsuki doing?
武夫: 元気だよ。久しぶりの海外旅行で羽を伸ばしてるよ。
Takeo: (Genki da yo. Hisashiburi no kaigai ryokō de hane o nobashiteru yo.)
Takeo: She is doing well. It’s been a while since she’s traveled, so she is living it up.
美紀: そうね。でも今日の夕食は美月の好きなハンバーグなのよね。あーあ、ここにいたらいいのにね。
Miki: (Sō ne. Demo kyō no yūshoku wa Mitsuki no suki na hanbāgu na no yo ne. Aa, koko ni itara ii noni ne.)
Miki: I guess so. But today’s dinner is her favorite, hamburger steak. Ah, I wish she was here with us.
武夫: まあまあ、すぐに帰ってくるよ。君も子離れしないとな。
Takeo: (Māmā, sugu ni kaette kuru yo. Kimi mo kobanare shinaito na.)
Takeo: Well, she’ll be back soon. You have to let her live her own life.
Casual Versions of This Pattern
Here are more casual ways you can use this pattern. Because the following expressions are casual, you would only use them with people you are close to like family, friends, or significant others.
ここにいてくれたらな / ね。
(Koko ni ite kuretara na / ne.)
I wish you were here.
ここにいたらな / ね。
(Koko ni itara na / ne.).
Wish you were here.
Past Tense: ここにいてくれたらよかったのに (Koko Ni Ite Kuretara Yokatta Noni)
ここにいてくれたらよかったのに。
(Koko ni ite kuretara yokatta noni.)
It would have been great if you were here.
Above is the past tense version of the sentence “ここにいてくれたらいいのに (Koko ni ite kuretara ii noni).” Either sentence could be used to mean, “I miss you.”
To make this phrase more casual, you can shorten it to:
ここにいたらよかったのに。
(Koko ni itara yokatta noni.)
It would have been great if you were here.
さびしい (Sabishii) or さみしい (Samishii)? Which Pronunciation is Correct?
You may hear people pronouncing both “sabishii” and “samishii. ” Both are correct, although originally the kanji was only read as “sabishii” until the Edo era.
As time went by, “samishii” started to be used together with “sabishii.” Now both pronunciations are widely accepted. But in a formal setting like a speech or a newspaper article, “sabishii” is considered formal and is more commonly used.
寂しい (Sabishii) vs 淋しい (Sabishii)? What’s the Difference Between These Two Kanji?
There are two different kanji for these adjectives, and the meanings can be slightly different depending on which kanji is used. In any case, the pronunciations are the same for these two kanji. This means that it can be challenging to know which word is being referenced in spoken conversations. These different kanji characters are only useful when you read books or write messages/letters.
- The kanji “淋しい (sabishii / samishii)” is more focused on your state of mind or feelings of loneliness.
- In contrast, “寂しい (sabishii / samishii)” can be more objective. In addition to talking about emotions, it can describe things like a lonely place or atmosphere. When used to describe a place or ambiance, 寂しい should only be pronounced as さびしい (sabishii). Here are some examples.
Examples:
1. ここは寂しい場所だ。
(Koko wa sabishii basho da.)
This place looks deserted (no one seems to be here).
2. 寂しい夜道を歩く。
(Sabishii yomichi o aruku.)
Walking on a lonely road at night.
What does Aitakatta meaning?
“Aitakatta” (会いたかった, “I Wanted to Meet You”) is Japanese idol group AKB48’s third single, and the first major single released through DefSTAR Records, on 25 October 2006.
What is aitai in Japanese?
会いたい (aitai) is probably the most common way that “I miss you” gets translated into Japanese. Literally it means “I want to see you.” Well, perhaps even more literally it means, “I want to meet with you,” but I think that we can agree that those have substantially different connotations in English.
What is the meaning of aishiteru?
In Japanese, the phrase “I love you” exists linguistically, but does not exist culturally. Linguistically, it is best translated as 愛してる or Aishiteru.
What do you reply to aishiteru?
When someone says 愛してる (aishiteru) to you in Japanese, it is common to respond with 私も愛してる (watashi mo aishiteru) which means “I love you, too”. You can also express your gratitude and happiness first by saying ありがとう (arigatou, thank you) or 愛されて嬉しい (aisarete ureshii, thanks for loving me).
Is aishiteru romantic?
If you wanted to express your affection for a man, you would say, “aishiteru yo” (愛してるよ). If you wanted to say the same thing to a woman, you’d say, “aishiteru wa” (愛してるわ). Another word to describe love is “koi” (恋), which is used to express romantic love. Aishiteru, Ami.”
Is daisuki Dayo romantic?
Daisuki can be used in both platonic and romantic relationships, as it conveys the feeling of romance (when taken in context) yet it can also convey feelings of great liking.
Why is aishiteru bad?
aishiteru = “I love you.” Veeery serious. Usually reserved for married couples. Not to be used casually. In fact, most Japanese people rarely say it in public, as it’s rather showy and embarrassing.
Is there a word stronger than love?
Yes,There is word ‘Hope’ and where there is stronger word ‘Love‘ , there is even strongest word ‘Hope’.
What are the 3 words better than I love you?
You need to muster all your strength to utter the three words – I, Love and You – together.
What is a stronger word for I Love You?
What is another word for love you?
| affection | adoration |
|---|---|
| devotion | like |
| attachment | friendship |
| intimacy | respect |
| amity | amour |
What is a deeper word for love?
deep affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, intimacy, attachment, endearment. devotion, adoration, doting, idolization, worship. passion, ardour, desire, lust, yearning, infatuation, adulation, besottedness.
Is anger stronger than love?
Anger is the strongest emotion. We can be deeply in love with someone, but when we get into an argument, all that love can fly out the window and we can become consumed in anger. When we’re overcome with anger, all thoughts of love, peace and well-being seem to vanish.
What are the 7 human emotions?
They are: Anger, Contempt, Fear, Disgust, Happiness, Sadness and Surprise.
Is anger an emotion of love?
When someone or something compromises your passions, anger may be a natural response. “Anger is the result of love. It is energy for defense of something you love when it is threatened.”
More than two months have passed since the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake on March 11. Even I, who live in Tokyo spent the days experiencing or feeling things I had never had. It will be a long while before Japan is able to get back to to the same condition as before. This makes me sad.
Probably this sadness causes this, but I have often heard jishuku in Japan since then.
jishuku: to choose to hold back your feelings or behavior
After the earthquake many events were cancelled: concerts, festivals, hanami, firework festival in August, and so on. Also, personal parties, weddings and dinners-out were even cancelled. It was because many Japanese thought that we should sympathize with evacuees and victims’s sadness or suffering and not have fun now. This led to a tendency of «Let’s not have fun, boisterous parties or unnecessary things.» There was the problem of a shortage of electricity in the Kanto reigon as well, but people in West Japan where they didn’t have a shortage of elecetricity, also turned off the bright lights. Jishuku spread all over Japan.
What do you think about jishuku? Some people say this is a Japanese idea and also a Japanese aesthetic. The other day one American who is often on Japanese TV shows introduced an article from an American newspaper. «In this article about jishuku in Japan, because there is no English equivalent of jishuku, they used jishuku.» According to my dictionary, jishuku is «self-restraint». Is this a good translation?
There are words that do not have exact equivalents between foreign languages. For example, «miss». How would you say «I miss you» in Japanese? I think there is no one specific Japanese word exoressing «miss».
miss: to feel regret about the absense or loss of somebody or something
I miss you. : anata ni aitai. (I want to see you.)
I miss my mom’s food.: okaasan no ryori ga tabetai. (I want to eat my mom’s food.)
Verbs change depending on the object of the sentence.
koishii is similar to «miss», but it is used only for song lyrics or poems, not used for everyday life.
koishii: to feel attraction for a person, place or thing that you are physically separeted from.
Moreover, many non-Japanese often use «natsukashii«, but its usage could be wrongs sometimes, so please be careful. natsukashii means that you have a feeling of «miss» when you remember the distant past.
shogakko jidai ga natsukashii: I miss my elementary schoold days.
mukashi no tomodachi ga natsukashii: I miss my old friends.
Now the Japanese especially the people of Northern Japan, must be feeling that they want to go back to the days before March 11. This is also a feeling of «miss».
It is very important to feel «Let’s share the pains of the evacuees/victims.» However, more people are saying lately, «jishuku has been causing the secondary damage to the Japanese economy.» Both the government and the people of Northern Japan are now appealing for all Japanese to support Northern Japan while continuing their lives as usual and not follow jishuku any more.
Have you ever heard of the Japanese romantic expression “愛してるよ” [aishiteru yo], meaning I love you? For JPOP lovers, we are certain that you have heard this expression along with other Japanese romantic words in anime, drama, and music. But did you know that the locals rarely use these sweet words and phrases in real life? Unlike in western cultures, couples say “I love you” in any situation. However, that is not the case for Japan.
Today, we will talk about expressing love in Japanese. If you’re dating a Japanese person or have a close relationship with the locals, you probably sense that Japanese people don’t tell their feeling directly. In Japanese culture, even though they feel something so strongly, they tend to hide it as profoundly as possible. So you may wonder how to recognize their affection and which Japanese romantic phrases you should remember. If that is the case, then keep reading below!
How Do Japanese Couples Express Love?
When it comes to romance, Japan is on another level. Even though Japanese people quickly say thank you and sorry most of the time, they become tight-lipped when saying I love you. Does it mean that your Japanese partner does not have feelings for you? Let’s answer that in this section.
Let’s learn a bit more about Japanese culture to answer the question. First, there is the Japanese idiom, 以心伝心 [ishin denshin], meaning communicate with each other without words. Its concept is influenced by their religion. To clarify this, it means their action is louder than words. So though your Japanese sweetheart doesn’t say ‘I love you’ that much, they express it through body language or work hard to build a future family together.
So to answer the question… your Japanese partner loves you! It’s just that their culture shows more importance to the concept of acts of service and quality time than words.
Romantic Japanese Words Related To Relationships
| English Definition | Japanese word | Pronunciation |
| Boyfriend | 彼氏 | kareshi |
| Girlfriend | 彼女 | kanojo |
| Husband | 夫 | otto |
| Wife | 妻 | tsuma |
| Love, boyfriend, girlfriend | 恋人 | koibito |
| Single, unmarried | 独身 | dokushin |
| Married couple | 夫婦 | Fūfu |
| Newly married | 新婚 | shinkon |
| Love | 愛 | ai |
| Love (passionate love) | 恋 | koi |
| Like | 好き | suki |
| First love | 初恋 | hatsukoi |
| Fall in love | 恋する | koisuru |
| Happiness | 幸せ | shiawase |
| Marriage | 結婚 | kekkon |
| Divorce | 離婚 | rikon |
| Break up | 別れる | wakareru |
Asking Someone On A Date In Japanese
Have you ever watched such a scene that urges your heartbeats from anime? Japanese high school students commonly write a love letter and hand it to their crush. And say these phrases;
- 付き 合 って くだ さい。(tsukiatte kudasai) – Please go out with me. (very polite)
- 付き合ってくれない？ (tsukiatte kurenai) – Can you go out with me?
It’s different from western cultures that they straightly go on dating and later officially be a couple. In contrast, Japanese people prefer to make it unmistakable before they push forward to another step.
I Love You In Japanese
- 好きです。 (suki desu) – I like you.
- 大好きだよ。 (daisuki da yo) – I love you.
- 愛してるよ。 (aishiteru yo) – I love you.
- あなただけを愛してるよ。 (anata dake wo aishiteruyo) – You’re the only one I love.
In fact, Japanese people frequently say 大好き [daisuki], which is softer than 愛してるよ [aishiteru yo]; note that softer doesn’t mean weaker feeling. Also, other phrases that ‘love’ doesn’t even exist in a sentence, but it represents the exact romantic definition. And here are Japanese phrases that contain romantic feelings without the word ‘love.’
- あなたと一緒にるのが好き。 (anata to isshoniirunogasuki) – I like being with you.
- ずっとそばに居たい。 (zutto soba niitai) – I want to stay by your side forever.
- ずっとずっと一緒に居ようね。 (zutto zutto issho ni iyou ne) – Let’s stay together forever.
- 一緒 に いたい！ (issho ni itai) – I want to be with you.
Have you ever watched a romantic Japanese movie called When I Get Home, My Wife Always Pretends To Be Dead? The crazy storyline is about one Japanese salaryman who gets home and discovers his wife pretends to be dead in considerable creative ways every day. One day, his wife picks him up from a random restaurant after work, and she stops a car on the way to look at the moon. And she says this;
- 月が綺麗ですね。 (tsuki ga kirei desu ne) – The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?
He doesn’t realize it until he finds an old book that belongs to his wife. And this phrase has been mentioned in a book as this sentence is a traditional Japanese term, meaning “I love you.”
I Miss You In Japanese
- あいたい。 (aitai) – Miss you (I want to see you)
- あなたが恋しいです。 (anata ga koishii desu) – I miss you.
One point for you to keep in mind, be careful to use あいたい [aitai] too often. Because Japanese people take this phrase thoughtfully, for example, you and your sweetheart live in a different country. If you say it repeatedly daily, they will get irritated that you don’t understand the situation. Even though you don’t mean to see them right then or now, they bear it that way.
Will You Marry Me In Japanese
- 結婚してください。 (kekkon shita kudasai) – Will you marry me (polite)
- 結婚しましょう。 (kekkonshi mashou) – Let’s get married.
The Japanese word for marriage is 結婚 [kekkon], and it’s a direct way to ask someone to build a family together. If you have been dating your Japanese loved one for a while, and they finally invite you to visit their parent, so you should be happy. Again, taking someone to see parents is big for Japanese people. It literally means they’re serious about stepping forward with you.
Other Romantic Love Phrases In the Japanese Language
- あなたはタイプだよ。 (anata wa taipudayo) – You’re my type.
- 一目惚れしました。 (hitomebore shimashita) – I fell in love at first sight.
- 抱いてもいい？ (dai temo ii?) – Can I hug you?
- キスしたい。 (kisu shitai) – I want to kiss you.
- カップルです。 (kappuru desu) – We’re a couple.
- デートに行こう! (deeto no ikou) – Let’s go date.
- 遊びに行こう！ (asobi ni ikou) – Let’s go travel. (It literally means let’s go date.)
- 手をつなごうよ。 (te wo tsunagou yo) – Let’s hold hands.
A Quick Recap of Japanese Romantic Words
Trying to speak Japanese has always been challenging. And when it comes to romantic relationship conversations, it can be more complicated than we ever imagined. Since Japanese people are generally sensitive to surroundings, they’re serious with the phrase like 愛してるよ [aishiteru yo], I love you in Japanese. But now, you have learned a lot from this blog. So the next chance you spend time with your Japanese sweetheart, don’t forget to show your profound love with any of the Japanese phrases we have recommended.
Do you remember the words you’ve learned earlier? No? If not, here’s a quick summary of love words and phrases in Japanese that you should keep on practicing. We’ve even added bonus Japanese romantic words for you to learn!
- 愛 (ai): love
- 恋 (koi): love
- 好きです。 (suki desu) – I like you.
- 大好きだよ。 (daisuki da yo) – I love you.
- 愛してるよ。 (aishiteru yo) – I love you.
- あなたが恋しいです。 (anata ga koishii desu) – I miss you.
- 一目惚れしました。 (hitomebore shimashita) – I fell in love at first sight.
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