Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 聡明な | sōmei na |
| 利口な | rikō na |
Japanese has several ways to express intelligence depending on the nuance of the person's capacity. 聡明な describes someone with high intellectual or moral wisdom, encompassing both intelligence and wisdom. 利口な is used to describe someone who is clever, shrewd or quick-witted in a practical or everyday sense. For more casual contexts, one might use the colloquial phrase めっちゃ頭いい to mean "super smart" or "extremely intelligent," or the informal term インテリ to describe someone with intellectual interests or pursuits.
Which one should you use?
聡明な is used for a sophisticated or intellectual tone, often implying a level of wisdom. In contrast, 利口な is more common for describing practical cleverness or being "smart" in daily life.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both 聡明な and 利口な are na-adjectives, which means they require the particle な when they are used to directly modify a noun.
How do you pronounce it?
sōmei na
Did you know?
- The kanji 聡 in 聡明な specifically refers to the ability to hear and perceive clearly, suggesting that true intelligence begins with the act of listening.
- The expression 頭が切れる (atama ga kireru), meaning 'to be sharp', literally translates to 'the head cuts'. It is used to describe a person with a very quick, decisive intellect.
- The term インテリ (inteli) is a loanword from the English 'intellectual', but in Japan, it often carries a slightly mocking nuance, describing someone who is an 'egghead' or overly academic.
Examples in context
- 利口な人でも時にはぼんやりすることがある。Even intelligent people are sometimes absent-minded.This sentence shows how even a person described as 利口な can be absent-minded.Tatoeba #78389 by mookeee, translation #1424449 by CK
- あの学生は賢いです。That student is intelligent.
- 彼女はめっちゃ頭いいよ。She is really intelligent!
- 彼女はとても聡明な女性です。Kanojo wa totemo soumei na josei desu.She is a very intelligent woman.
- 彼は聡明な判断を下した。Kare wa soumei na handan o kudashita.He made an intelligent judgment.
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are talking about a new colleague.
- 蓮 Ren新しい同僚はとても聡明な人だね。Atarashii dōryō wa totemo sōmeina hito da ne.The new colleague is a very intelligent person, isn't he?
- 結衣 Yuiええ、仕事の飲み込みが本当に早いです。Ee, shigoto no nomikomi ga hontō ni hayai desu.Yes, he picks up the work really quickly.
- 蓮 Ren彼がいればプロジェクトも安心だ。Kare ga ireba purojekuto mo anshin da.We can feel secure about the project with him here.
- 結衣 Yui本当にそうだと思います、蓮さん。Hontō ni sō da to omoimasu, Ren-san.I really think so too, Ren.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “intelligent” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
