How to Say "It Is Okay" in Japanese

大丈夫

daijōbu[da̠iʑo̞ːbɯ̟]

The English phrase "it is okay" is expressed in Japanese as 大丈夫 (daijōbu).

大丈夫 is used to state that a situation is fine or that there is no problem. By using a rising intonation, you can also use 大丈夫 as a question to ask if someone is alright or if a situation is fine. Additionally, the phrase 大丈夫です is frequently used to politely decline an offer, functioning similarly to "I'm fine" or "No thank you" in English.

Which one should you use?

While 大丈夫 is the base form, 大丈夫です is a polite version used to convey that something is okay or to say "I am okay" or "I'm feeling better". For a more formal tone, you can use 問題ありません to mean "There is no problem" or "No issues". In informal settings, you can use 大丈夫だよ to say "I'm okay" or "It's all good" or 問題ない to convey that there are no issues or problems.

How does it change in a sentence?

To make the phrase polite, you can add です to 大丈夫 to form 大丈夫です. If you need to express the negative, the casual form is 大丈夫じゃない (it is not okay), while the formal way to say it is 大丈夫ではありません.

How do you pronounce it?

daijōbu

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers may over-rely on the dictionary form 大丈夫 alone, but in conversation, it often sounds incomplete or overly blunt without a particle or copula like です or だ.

Did you know?

The word 大丈夫 originally referred to a 'real man' or a 'heroic man' in classical contexts. Over time, its meaning shifted from describing a person of great strength to describing a situation that is stable or 'all right'.
While it means 'okay', 大丈夫 can be used to describe a person's mental stability, as in asking if someone is 'sane' or 'alright in the head'.
The character 丈 in the phrase 大丈夫 can also be used as a counter for measuring lengths, such as in traditional textiles. This adds a layer of 'sturdiness' or 'measure' to the historical concept of the word.

Examples in context

大丈夫です
I am okay or I'm feeling better
大丈夫ですよ
It's okay or No problem
問題ありません
It is okay or No issues
大丈夫だよ
I'm okay or It's all good
大丈夫です。
Daijoubu desu.
It is okay.
明日は大丈夫ですか？
Ashita wa daijoubu desu ka?
Is tomorrow okay?
全然大丈夫だよ。
Zenzen daijoubu da yo.
It is completely okay.

Example conversation

Hina is checking if Kenta is okay after he tripped.

陽葵 Himari

健太くん、大丈夫？
Kenta-kun, daijoubu?
Kenta, are you okay?
健太 Kenta

うん、大丈夫だよ。
Un, daijoubu dayo.
Yeah, I'm okay.
陽葵 Himari

よかった。本当に大丈夫？
Yokatta. Hontou ni daijoubu?
That's a relief. Are you really okay?
健太 Kenta

大丈夫。気にしないで。
Daijoubu. Ki ni shinaide.
I'm fine. Don't worry about it.

Sources

Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 大丈夫, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries 大丈夫, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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How to Say “It Is Okay” in Japanese