How to Say "Homesick" in Japanese

ホームシック

hōmushikku[ho̞ːmɯ̟ɕik̚kɯ̟]

The English phrase "homesick" is translated into Japanese as ホームシック (hōmushikku).

ホームシック is used to describe the feeling of missing one's home or family.

Meaning: missing one's home or family (adj)

What does it mean word for word?

The word ホームシック is a loanword from English, combining the parts for "home" (ホーム) and "sick" (シック).

ホームシック functions like a noun or a na-adjective. You can use the copula だ or です to state the condition of being homesick.

hōmushikku

The word ホーム in ホームシック is a 'wasei-eigo' usage. In daily Japanese, ホーム more commonly refers to a train station platform than a residential house.
While ホームシック describes the emotional state of missing home, Japanese speakers often use the phrase 懐かしい (natsukashii) to express a nostalgic, pleasant longing for the past or a place.
In Japanese, the feeling of being homesick is often expressed using the word 寂しい (sabishii), which primarily means 'lonely'. This shifts the focus from the place one misses to the emotional void left by the absence of loved ones.

ホームシックです。
I feel homesick.
This sentence is useful for stating that you feel homesick using ホームシック.
Tatoeba #196533 by KK_kaku_, translation #33712 by CK
ホームシックなの？
Are you homesick?
This sentence is useful for asking someone if they are homesick using ホームシック.
Tatoeba #8703990 by bunbuku, translation #2648865 by CK
ホームシックなの。
I am homesick.
This sentence is useful for stating that you are homesick using ホームシック.
Tatoeba #10668732 by small_snow, translation #1727063 by thrash242
子供の頃のふるさとがなつかしい
I miss my hometown from when I was a child
16 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are talking over the phone about living abroad.

結衣 Yui

日本が恋しくて、ホームシックになった？
Nihon ga koishikute, hōmushikku ni natta?
Do you miss Japan and feel homesick?
健太 Kenta

うん、少しホームシックだよ。
Un, sukoshi hōmushikku dayo.
Yeah, I'm a little homesick.
結衣 Yui

無理しないで、たまには電話してね。
Muri shinaide, tama ni wa denwa shite ne.
Don't push yourself too hard, and call me sometimes.
健太 Kenta

ありがとう、そうするよ。
Arigatō, sō suru yo.
Thanks, I will.

Sources

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