皆さん
mina-san[mʲina̠sã̠ɴ]
The English word 'everybody' is translated into Japanese as 皆さん (mina-san). Wiktionary also lists みんな (minna).
Meaning: all people (pron)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 皆さん | mina-san | [mʲina̠sã̠ɴ] (narrow) |
| みんな | minna | [mʲĩnːa̠] (narrow) |
What does it mean word for word?
The core part of these words is 皆, which means 'all' or 'everyone'.
Which one should you use?
皆さん is the polite version of everybody, whereas みんな is more casual.
How do you pronounce it?
mina-san
Did you know?
- The kanji 皆 used in these words is also found in the word 皆既 (kaiki), which refers to a 'total' eclipse, showing how the concept of 'all' scales from people to celestial events.
- Japanese has a concept called 'uchi-soto' (inside-outside), meaning you might use みんな for your inner circle but must switch to 皆さん the moment an outsider joins the conversation.
- In Japanese, you can use みんな to mean 'everyone' even when referring to a group of objects or things, a usage that is much less common for the English 'everybody'.
Examples in context
- みんなはどこ？Where is everybody?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of a group using みんな.Tatoeba #2310116 by tommy_san, translation #1690476 by Spamster
- みんな笑った。Everybody laughed.This sentence is useful for describing a group action using みんな.Tatoeba #7429280 by Ninja, translation #22132 by CK
- みんな待った。Everybody waited.Tatoeba #7429281 by Ninja, translation #2111879 by CK
- 皆さん、お帰りなさい！Welcome back, everybody!
- イベントにご参加いただいたみなさま、ありがとうございます！Thank you to everybody who joined the event!
- みんな、食べ物ができたよ！Everybody, the food is ready!
- 皆、明日の計画は何ですか？Everybody, what are the plans for tomorrow?
- 159 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Himari are preparing for a small party.
- 陽太 Yota皆さん、準備はいいですか？Minasan, junbi wa ii desu ka?Is everybody ready?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、準備できています！Hai, junbi dekite imasu!Yes, we are ready!
- 陽太 Yota陽葵さんは、飲み物を持ってきてくれましたか？Himari-san wa, nomimono o motte kite kuremashita ka?Himari, did you bring the drinks?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、テーブルに置いてあります。Hai, tēburu ni oite arimasu.Yes, they are on the table.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “everybody” translations and entries 皆さん, みんな, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
