嬉しい
ureshii[ɯ̟ɾe̞ɕiː]
The English word "joyful" is translated into Japanese as 嬉しい, pronounced ureshii.
嬉しい is an adjective used to describe a personal, subjective feeling of joy or happiness. It is typically used to describe a reaction to a specific event or news that brings happiness, rather than describing a long-term personality trait.
Meaning: feeling or causing joy (adj)
Which one should you use?
While 嬉しい describes a personal, subjective feeling of joy, the word 楽しい is used to describe an enjoyable or fun activity. Additionally, if you want to express excitement or the feeling of "I did it!", you might use the informal exclamation やった！
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that a feeling of joy occurred in the past, change the ending to 嬉しかった. To state that you are not joyful or not happy, use the negative form 嬉しくない.
How do you pronounce it?
ureshii
Did you know?
- The word 嬉しい may be etymologically linked to the verb 熟れる, meaning 'to ripen'. This suggests a historical connection between the feeling of joy and the sensation of something reaching its full, mature state.
- Because 嬉しい is a subjective, internal feeling, it is rarely used to describe the feelings of someone else. To avoid sounding like you are reading their mind, Japanese speakers often use different phrasing when discussing another person's joy.
- In some social contexts, Japanese speakers may downplay their 嬉しい feelings to avoid appearing boastful or overly emotional in public.
Examples in context
- Watashi wa totemo ureshii desu (わたしはとてもうれしいです)I am very joyful.
- Watashitachi wa kōfuku na jinsei o ikiteimasu (わたしたちは幸福な人生を生きています)We are living a joyful life.
- プレゼントをもらって、とても嬉しいです。Purezento o moratte, totemo ureshii desu.I am very joyful to receive a present.
- 合格したと聞いて、嬉しいです。Gōkaku shita to kiite, ureshii desu.I am joyful to hear that you passed.
- 新しい家族ができて、本当に嬉しいです。Atarashii kazoku ga dekite, hontō ni ureshii desu.I am truly joyful to have a new family.
Example conversation
Misaki tells Kenta about a promotion at work.
- 健太 Kenta昇進したんだってね。おめでとう！Shōshin shita n datte ne. Omedetō!I heard you got promoted. Congratulations!
- 美咲 Misakiありがとう！本当に嬉しいよ。Arigatō! Hontō ni ureshii yo.Thank you! I'm really joyful.
- 健太 Kenta頑張ったもんね。Ganbatta mon ne.You worked hard for it.
- 美咲 Misakiそう言ってもらえて嬉しいな。Sō itte moraete ureshii na.I'm happy that you said that.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 嬉しい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 嬉しい, CC BY-SA 4.0.
