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Emotions in Japanese: Your Expressive Journey visualisation

Emotions in Japanese: Your Expressive Journey

Learn to express feelings in Japanese!
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Expressing emotions and feelings in Japanese involves using a variety of vocabulary words and phrases that convey different emotional states. The most common way is to use adjectives followed by “です” (desu) for politeness or simpler adjective forms.

Common Japanese Words for Emotions and Feelings

  • Happy: うれしい (ureshii) or 嬉しい. Example: 今日はとてもうれしいです (Kyou wa totemo ureshii desu) — “I am very happy today.”
  • Sad: かなしい (kanashii) or 悲しい. Example: 彼の話を聞いて、とてもかなしい (Kare no hanashi wo kiite, totemo kanashii) — “Hearing his story, I feel very sad.”
  • Angry: おこる (okoru) or 怒る. Example: 遅れてごめんなさい、おこっていますか? (Okurete gomen nasai, okotte imasu ka?) — “I’m sorry I’m late, are you angry?”
  • Scared: こわい (kowai) or 怖い.
  • Lonely: さびしい (sabishii) or 寂しい.
  • Excited: わくわくする (waku waku suru).
  • Bored: たいくつ (taikutsu).
  • Anxious or worried: 心配 (しんぱい, shinpai).
  • Relieved: ほっとする (hotto suru).

How to Express Feelings

  • Basic structure: “[adjective] + です” to say “I am [feeling].” The subject (I, you, he, she) is often omitted.
    Example: 今日は疲れたです (Kyou wa tsukareta desu) — “I am tired today.”
  • Asking about others’ feelings: 元気ですか? (Genki desu ka?) — “Are you well?” or “How are you?”

Nuanced Emotional Expressions

  • Words like ものだ (mono da) or ことだ (koto da) can express deep or mixed emotions, such as nostalgia or surprise, often implying an emotional subtlety that is not explicitly stated.
  • Emotional interjections and expressions are often used casually to convey quick feelings such as “wow” or surprise.

Cultural Notes

  • Japanese tends to express emotions somewhat indirectly and often uses context or tone alongside words.
  • Using polite forms like です/desu is common when expressing emotions formally.
  • Avoid overusing the word “you” (あなた anata) when asking about feelings, as it can be too direct or overly familiar.

This overview includes key vocabulary and typical sentence patterns for expressing emotions and feelings in Japanese, whether positive, negative, or complex emotional states.

References

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