楽しむ
tanoshimu[ta̠no̞ɕimɯ̟]
The Japanese verb for 'enjoy' is 楽しむ (tanoshimu).
楽しむ is used to express receiving pleasure or satisfaction from something. Unlike in English, where you might say you enjoy 'doing' something using a gerund, in Japanese, 楽しむ is typically used with a noun that represents the object of your enjoyment.
Meaning: to receive pleasure or satisfaction from something (verb)
Which one should you use?
楽しむ describes the act of actively enjoying or finding pleasure in something. Additionally, while 楽しむ is a verb, its noun form is 楽しみ, which means 'pleasure' or 'joy'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense of 楽しむ is 楽しんだ (enjoyed), and the polite continuous form, meaning 'is enjoying', is 楽しんでいます.
How do you pronounce it?
tanoshimu
Did you know?
- When talking about enjoying a hobby or a specific pastime, Japanese speakers often use the verb はまる (hamaru), which means 'to be hooked on' or 'to be stuck in'.
- In many contexts, if you want to say 'enjoy your meal' in Japanese, you would not use 楽しむ, but rather the set phrase いただきます (itadakimasu).
- The kanji for 楽しむ contains the character for 'heart' (心), emphasizing that enjoyment is a deeply felt, internal emotional state.
Examples in context
- 孤独を楽しむ人もいる。Some people enjoy solitude.This sentence shows how the verb 楽しむ can be used to describe people who enjoy solitude.Tatoeba #174560 by KK_kaku_, translation #239909 by shanghainese
- 僕はその挑戦を楽しむ。I enjoy the challenge.This sentence demonstrates using 楽しむ to express enjoying a challenge.Tatoeba #9041975 by Ninja, translation #3618661 by CK
- 気球にのって空を楽しむ。I'll enjoy the sky in a balloon.This sentence shows how to use 楽しむ in the context of enjoying the sky while in a balloon.Tatoeba #11211802 by ITA, translation #13008373 by urro
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “enjoy” translations and entries 楽しむ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
