彼が恋しい
kare ga koishii
To say "I miss him" in Japanese, use 彼が恋しい (kare ga koishii).
The phrase is used to express a feeling of sadness or longing because someone is not present. The adjective 恋しい (koishii) describes a deep, often romantic or nostalgic longing for a person, place or thing.
Which one should you use?
While 彼が恋しい focuses on the longing for the person, the alternative phrase 彼がいなくて寂しい (kare ga inakute sabishii) focuses on the loneliness felt due to their absence.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 彼が恋しい, the particle が (ga) marks the person who is being missed.
How do you pronounce it?
kare ga koishii
Did you know?
- The word 恋しい is related to the kanji for 'love' or 'romance', meaning your longing for someone is linguically framed as a form of passion. This makes the phrase much more 'romantic' in its DNA than the English 'I miss him'.
- While 恋しい describes longing, Japanese speakers often avoid saying 'I miss you' directly to a person's face, as the culture prioritizes implicit understanding over explicit emotional declarations.
- In many Japanese songs, instead of saying 'I miss you', artists will describe the emptiness of the room or the silence of the house to imply the feeling. This indirectness is a common cultural way to express longing.
Examples in context
- 彼が恋しいです。kare ga koishii desu.I miss him.
- 遠くにいる彼が恋しい。tooku ni iru kare ga koishii.I miss him, who is far away.
Example conversation
Hiyori is talking to Daichi about her boyfriend who is studying abroad.
- 大翔 Hiroto彼から連絡はありましたか？kare kara renraku wa arimashita ka?Have you heard from him?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、でもやっぱり彼が恋しいです。hai, demo yappari kare ga koishii desu.Yes, but I still miss him.
- 大翔 Hirotoもうすぐ帰ってくるよ。mou sugu kaette kuru yo.He will be back soon.
- 陽葵 Himariそれが待ち遠しいです。sore ga machidooshii desu.I can't wait for that.
