嫉妬
shitto[ɕi̥t̚to̞]
The English word "jealous" can be translated into Japanese as 嫉妬 (shitto), which is the default form.
嫉妬 refers to feeling envious or resentful of someone due to a perceived advantage, whether material or otherwise. It is a heavy, formal-sounding word often used in literature or to describe intense romantic or professional resentment.
Meaning: envious, feeling resentful of someone for a perceived advantage, material or otherwise (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
shitto
Did you know?
- When someone is teased for being jealous, they might respond with 焼きもち ('yakimochi'), which literally translates to 'baked rice cake'.
- In Japanese literature, 嫉妬 is frequently associated with 'onryō', or vengeful spirits, who are often driven by a jealousy that transcends death.
- If you are feeling a 'mild' jealousy in a romantic context, you might use the word モヤモヤ, moyamoya, which describes a hazy, unsettled feeling in the chest rather than the direct 'envy' of 嫉妬.
Examples in context
- 嫉妬するだろうな。She will be jealous.This sentence shows how to use 嫉妬 to predict someone's reaction.Tatoeba #10651960 by small_snow, translation #7937113 by AlanF_US
- 嫉妬してるだけだよ。He's just jealous.This sentence uses 嫉妬 to describe someone's current state.Tatoeba #11052295 by small_snow, translation #5207699 by Hybrid
- 嫉妬深い女性は大嫌いだ。I hate jealous women.This sentence uses 嫉妬深い to describe a person's character.Tatoeba #1533018 by bunbuku, translation #953470 by CK
- 彼女の新しい車、羨ましいな。I am so jealous of her new car.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are talking about a friend's new luxury car.
- 蓮 Ren彼の新車、本当にかっこいいよね。Kare no shinsha, hontō ni kakkoii yo ne.His new car is really cool, isn't it?
- 美咲 Misaki本当。正直、少し嫉妬しちゃうな。Hontō. Shōjiki, sukoshi shitto shichau na.True. To be honest, I'm a little jealous.
- 蓮 Renあはは、美咲は正直だね。Ahaha, Misaki wa shōjiki da ne.Haha, Misaki, you are honest.
- 美咲 Misakiだって、あんな車が欲しいもん。Datte, anna kuruma ga hoshii mon.Because I want a car like that.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 嫉妬, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
