黙る
damaru[da̠ma̠ɾɯ̟]
To keep quiet in Japanese, use 黙る (damaru). Wiktionary also lists 沈黙する (chinmoku suru).
Meaning: remain silent (verb)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 黙る | damaru | [da̠ma̠ɾɯ̟] (narrow) |
| 沈黙する | chinmoku suru |
The verb describes the act of remaining silent. Depending on the context, you may encounter different ways to express this. For example, 静かにしてください means "Please be quiet.", 黙っていてください means "Please stay silent.", 静かにして means "Keep quiet.", and 黙ってて means "Just be quiet."
Which one should you use?
黙る is a common, direct and sometimes blunt way to say "to be silent" or "to shut up". In contrast, 沈黙する is a more formal, literary or technical term used for "to maintain silence", often found in writing or formal contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 黙っている is used to describe the ongoing state of someone being silent or keeping quiet.
How do you pronounce it?
damaru
Did you know?
- In high-context Japanese communication, 'keeping quiet' is often used as a way to convey a negative answer without saying 'no'. This social practice is known as 空気を読む or 'reading the air'.
- The word 沈黙 for silence shares its first character with 'sink' or 'submerge'. This creates a linguistic imagery of silence as something heavy that sinks deep into the water or pulls a person down.
- While 'be quiet' is a common request in English, using 黙れ (the imperative form of 黙る) in Japan is considered an extremely aggressive, almost violent command often seen in anime or heated arguments.
Examples in context
- 怒ったら黙るタイプです。Okattara damaru taipu desu.He is the type to go quiet when he is angry.
Example conversation
In a library, Yui asks Hiroto to be quiet.
- 結衣 Yui大翔、少し黙って。Hiroto, sukoshi damatte.Hiroto, please be quiet for a bit.
- 大翔 Hirotoごめん、すぐ黙るよ。Gomen, sugu damaru yo.Sorry, I will keep quiet right away.
- 結衣 Yuiここでは静かにしてね。Koko de wa shizuka ni shite ne.Please be quiet in here.
- 大翔 Hirotoわかった、気を付ける。Wakatta, ki o tsukeru.Understood, I will be careful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “keep quiet” translations and entries 黙る, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
