彼女が恋しい
kanojo ga koishii
The English phrase 'I miss her' is expressed in Japanese as 彼女が恋しい (kanojo ga koishii).
This phrase expresses a feeling of sadness because one is no longer with a female person they love or care for.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 彼女 (kanojo), meaning 'she/girlfriend', the particle が (ga), meaning 'subject marker' and 恋しい (koishii), meaning 'to be missed' or 'to be longed for'.
Which one should you use?
While 彼女が恋しい expresses a deep, emotional longing or sense of loss, 彼女に会いたい is a more common, direct way to say 'I want to see/meet her'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the auxiliary verb です to the end of the phrase makes it polite and suitable for most social situations.
How do you pronounce it?
kanojo ga koishii
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the object particle を instead of the subject particle が because they are translating 'miss her' directly, but 恋しい is an adjective that requires the subject marker が.
Did you know?
- The word 恋しい shares its root with 恋 (koi), which refers to a yearning, often unrequited or distant love, as opposed to 愛 (ai) which is a more stable, deep love.
- To express a more casual or 'aching' sense of missing someone, speakers might use 寂しい (sabishii), which literally means 'lonely'.
- In everyday Japanese, people rarely use the word 彼女 (kanojo) to mean 'she' when talking about a specific person, as it almost always implies 'girlfriend'.
Examples in context
- 外国での出張中、彼女が心から恋しいです。While on a business trip abroad, I truly miss her.
- 彼女が出張中で、すごく彼女が恋しい。She's on a business trip, and I really miss her.
- あの子と別れてから、めっちゃ彼女が恋しいよ。Since we broke up, I really miss her a lot.
- 彼女が恋しい。Kanojo ga koishii.I miss her.
- 今はただ、彼女が恋しいです。Ima wa tada, kanojo ga koishii desu.Right now, I just miss her.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a past relationship.
- 大翔 Hiroto最近、どうしてる？Saikin, dou shiteru?How have you been lately?
- 陽葵 Himari実は、まだ彼女が恋しいんだ。Jitsu wa, mada kanojo ga koishii nda.Actually, I still miss her.
- 大翔 Hirotoそうだったんだね。Sou datta nda ne.I see, that's how it is.
- 陽葵 Himariうん、寂しいよ。Un, sabishii yo.Yeah, I'm lonely.
