絶望した
zetsubō shita
The English word hopeless can be translated into Japanese as 絶望した (zetsubō shita) or 絶望的な.
Meaning: destitute of hope, having no expectation of good, despairing (adj)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 絶望した | zetsubō shita |
| 絶望的な | zetsubōteki na |
Japanese uses different words for hopeless depending on whether you are describing a person's internal feeling or an external situation.
What does it mean word for word?
The core component, 絶望 (zetsubō), literally means 'despair' or 'loss of hope'.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on what is being described: use 絶望した to describe a person's emotional state of having despaired, whereas use 絶望的な to describe situations, circumstances or qualities that are hopeless.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 絶望的な is a na-adjective used to modify nouns to describe situations or circumstances as hopeless or desperate.
How do you pronounce it?
zetsubō shita
Did you know?
- The character 絶 in 絶望 means 'to cut' or 'to sever'. In Japanese, 'hopelessness' is conceptually framed as the act of completely cutting off one's connection to hope.
- In Japanese, the feeling of being 'hopeless' can be expressed through お手上げ (oteage), which literally means 'hands up' in surrender.
- While 絶望的な describes a hopeless situation, the word ダメ (dame) is often used in daily conversation to call a person 'hopeless' in a lighthearted or critical way, such as 'you are hopeless' at a certain task.
Examples in context
- 絶望的な戦いの中、貴君の師団が善戦したことは高く評価されている。Your division was highly praised for fighting well in the midst of a hopeless conflict.This sentence shows how to use 絶望的な to describe a conflict or situation.Tatoeba #75226 by fcbond, translation #328493 by fcbond
- 彼の状況は絶望的です。His situation is hopeless.
- 彼の計画はめちゃくちゃだよ。His plan is hopeless / a mess.
- 彼は諦めモードだ。He's in a hopeless situation (literally: in "giving up mode").
- 彼はすべてを失い、絶望した。Kare wa subete o ushinai, zetsubou shita.He lost everything and felt hopeless.
- 夢が壊れて、彼女は絶望した。Yume ga kowarete, kanojo wa zetsubou shita.Her dream was broken, and she felt hopeless.
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are talking about a failed project.
- 健太 Kentaもうダメだ。完全に絶望したよ。mō dame da. kanzen ni zetsubō shita yo.It's no use. I'm completely hopeless.
- 結衣 Yuiそんなことないよ、健太。まだ方法はあるはずだわ。sonna koto nai yo, kenta. mada hōhō wa aru hazu da wa.That's not true, Kenta. There must still be a way.
- 健太 Kentaでも、状況は最悪だ。demo, jōkyō wa saiaku da.But the situation is the worst.
- 結衣 Yui一緒に考えよう。一人で悩まないで。issho ni kangaeyō. hitori de nayamanaide.Let's think about it together. Don't worry alone.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hopeless” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
