会いたい
aitai
In Japanese, the phrase used to say "I miss you" is 会いたい (aitai).
Japanese does not have a direct equivalent to the English concept of "missing" someone's presence. Instead, the language expresses this feeling by stating the desire to see or meet the person.
Meaning: I miss you (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a combination of the verb au (to meet) and the auxiliary -tai (want to).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The base form 会いたい is informal. You can make the expression polite by adding desu to the end, resulting in 会いたいです, which is suitable for people you are not extremely close with. For even more formal situations, you can use お会いしたいです to say "I would like to meet you."
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that you missed someone in the past, you change the ending to the past tense form 会いたかった. You can also add the particle yo to the end of 会いたい to create 会いたいよ, which adds emotional emphasis or a sense of telling the listener something important.
How do you pronounce it?
aitai
Did you know?
- To express a deeper, more painful sense of longing, Japanese speakers might use 寂しい (sabishii), which describes the feeling of loneliness rather than the desire to meet.
- While 会いたい is the standard, some people use the English loanword 'miss' as ミスする (misu suru), but this means 'to make a mistake' and cannot be used to express longing.
- In Japan, expressing 'I miss you' by saying 'I want to see you' can sometimes feel too direct or heavy in a romantic context. Using the phrase too frequently might actually be seen as too pushy rather than sweet.
Examples in context
- 会いたいよ！I miss you!This sentence is useful for expressing the sentiment "I miss you!" using the form 会いたい.Tatoeba #13182085 by atitarev, translation #6055899 by sergiomelo
- はい、お久しぶりです。会いたくて寂しかったですよ。Yes, it has been a while. I missed you so much.
- うん、元気だけど、会いたくてたまらない！I'm fine, but I can't bear not to see you!
- 早く会いたい。Hayaku aitai.I want to see you soon.
- ずっと会いたいと思っている。Zutto aitai to omotte iru.I've been wanting to see you.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple talking on the phone late at night.
- 蓮 Ren声が聞けて嬉しいけど、やっぱり会いたい。Koe ga kikete ureshii kedo, yappari aitai.I'm happy to hear your voice, but I miss you.
- 陽葵 Himari私も、蓮に会いたいよ。Watashi mo, Ren ni aitai yo.I miss you too, Ren.
- 蓮 Ren週末に会えるかな？Shuumatsu ni aeru kana?Do you think we can meet this weekend?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、絶対会おうね。Un, zettai aou ne.Yes, let's definitely see each other.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
