How to Say “Everyone” in Japanese

みんな
minna[mʲĩnːa̠]
The Japanese word for "everyone" is みんな (minna). Wiktionary also lists 皆さん (minasan).
Meaning: every person (pron)

Ways to say it

“everyone” in Japanese
Japanese Romanization (Wiktionary) IPA
みんな minna [mʲĩnːa̠] (narrow)
皆さん minasan [mʲina̠sã̠ɴ] (narrow)

Both みんな and 皆さん are used to refer to every person or a group of people.

What does it mean word for word?

The word is based on the kanji 皆, which literally means "all" or "everyone".

Which one should you use?

皆さん is a polite form used when addressing a group politely or in formal settings, whereas みんな is more casual.

How does it change in a sentence?

The word みんな functions as a noun and can be followed by particles like は (wa) or が (ga) to act as the subject of a sentence.

How do you pronounce it?

minna

Did you know?

  • While 皆さん is a polite way to say 'everyone', using it to refer to your own family or a close group of friends can actually sound cold or distant, as if you are treating them like strangers.
  • The word みんな can sometimes be used as an adverb meaning 'entirely' or 'completely', rather than referring to people.
  • The casual みんな is actually a phonetic evolution of the original word みな. Over time, the sound became 'doubled' or geminated in the middle, creating the version used in modern speech.

Examples in context

  • みんなはどこ?
    Where's everyone?
    This sentence is useful for asking about the location of everyone using みんな.
    Tatoeba #2310116 by tommy_san, translation #1886603 by CK
  • みんな笑った。
    Everyone laughed.
    This sentence is useful for describing how everyone laughed using みんな.
    Tatoeba #7429280 by Ninja, translation #1655511 by Spamster
  • みんな待った。
    Everyone waited.
    This sentence is useful for describing how everyone waited using みんな.
    Tatoeba #7429281 by Ninja, translation #2094851 by CK
  • 305 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Yui and Yota are deciding what to eat for dinner.

  1. 結衣 Yui

    みんなでピザを食べない?
    minna de piza o tabenai?
    Why don't we all eat pizza together?
  2. 陽太 Yota

    いい考えだね。
    ii kangae da ne.
    That's a great idea.
  3. 結衣 Yui

    みんなに聞いてみるね。
    minna ni kiite miru ne.
    I'll ask everyone.
  4. 陽太 Yota

    お願い、結衣。
    onegai, Yui.
    Please do, Yui.

Sources

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Zara Natasha
Zara NatashaHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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