だいじょうぶ
daijōbuhiragana, casual
In hiragana, "daijoubu" is だいじょうぶ (daijōbu). It means "okay" or "all right", and the polite form is だいじょうぶです (daijōbu desu). The kanji are 大丈夫.
Meaning: okay, all right (adjective)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| だいじょうぶ | daijōbu | hiragana, casual |
| だいじょうぶです | daijōbu desu | hiragana, polite |
It works as a question to check on someone, as an answer to say you are fine, and as a soft way to say "no thanks".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Add です for polite speech. Alone, だいじょうぶ is casual and fits friends and family.
How do you pronounce it?
The sound じょう is a long "jo", so say "dai-jo-bu" with a stretched middle vowel.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because だいじょうぶです can mean both "I am fine" and "no, thank you", a tone of voice or a gesture usually makes the meaning clear.
Did you know?
- The kanji 大丈夫 also exist in Chinese, where the word dàzhàngfu has an older meaning of a strong and upright man.
Examples in context
- だいじょうぶですか。Daijōbu desu ka?Are you okay?
- だいじょうぶ、ありがとう。Daijōbu, arigatō.I'm fine, thanks.
- だいじょうぶだよ、しんぱいしないで。Daijōbu da yo, shinpai shinaide.It's okay, don't worry.
Example conversation
Haruka runs to Ren after he trips on the school stairs.
- Renあ、いたい！A, itai!Ouch!
- Harukaだいじょうぶ？Daijōbu?Are you okay?
- Renうん、だいじょうぶ。ちょっところんだだけ。Un, daijōbu. Chotto koronda dake.Yeah, I'm fine. I just tripped a little.
- Harukaよかった。Yokatta.That's a relief.
