Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| お久しぶりです | o-hisashiburi desu | [o̞çi̥sa̠ɕibɯ̟ɾʲi de̞sɨ̥] (narrow) |
| 久しぶり | hisashiburi | [çi̥sa̠ɕibɯ̟ɾʲi] (narrow) |
The phrase is used idiomatically to express that you have not seen someone for a long time. Depending on the ending, you can express different nuances: adding ね to お久しぶりです makes it more conversational and friendly while maintaining formality, while adding ですが indicates that it has been a long time since your last meeting and serves as a way to transition into continuing the conversation. For casual use, 久しぶり conveys the same meaning.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 久しぶり is derived from the adjective 久し, which means a long time or a long interval.
Which one should you use?
The form お久しぶりです is the polite version, whereas 久しぶり is the casual version. You may also encounter 久しぶりだね, which is a conversational and friendly way to use the casual form or お久しぶりだよ, which adds emphasis and a stronger sense of familiarity to the polite base.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Use お久しぶりです when speaking to a superior, a teacher or someone you are not on close terms with. For friends or family, use the informal 久しぶり or 久しぶりだね.
How does it change in a sentence?
To increase the politeness level of the phrase, the prefix お and the suffix です are added to 久しぶり.
How do you pronounce it?
o-hisashiburi desu
Did you know?
- While お久しぶりです is common, in highly formal business settings, people may use ご無沙汰しております to apologize for the long silence.
- When meeting someone after a long time, it is common to follow お久しぶりです with a comment about how the other person has not changed at all.
- The word ぶり is also used in contexts like 'the way' or 'style' of doing something, such as 話しぶり for 'way of speaking'.
Examples in context
- お久しぶり。Long time, no see.This example shows the casual form 久しぶり used alone.Tatoeba #417005 by bunbuku, translation #417003 by CK
- 久しぶりだね。Long time no see!This example shows the casual form 久しぶり with a conversational ending.Tatoeba #417004 by bunbuku, translation #1230521 by alec
- よう、久しぶり。Hey, long time no see.This example shows a very casual greeting using the form 久しぶり.Tatoeba #3576197 by arnab, translation #3575393 by CK
- 田中さん、お久しぶりです。Long time no see, Mr. Tanaka.
- 花子さん、お久しぶりですね。Long time no see, Hanako.
- 田村さん、お久しぶりですが、お元気でしたか？Long time no see, Mr. Tamura! How have you been?
- おお、久しぶり！元気だった？Long time no see! How have you been?
- なおみちゃん、久しぶりだね！Long time no see, Naomi!
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Himari meets Ren at a cafe after several years.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮さん、お久しぶりです！Ren-san, ohisashiburi desu!Ren, long time no see!
- 蓮 Ren陽葵さん、お久しぶりですね。Himari-san, ohisashiburi desu ne.Himari, it has been a long time.
- 陽葵 Himariお元気でしたか？Ogenki deshita ka?How have you been?
- 蓮 Renはい、元気でした。Hai, genki deshita.Yes, I have been well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “long time no see” translations and entries お久しぶりです, 久しぶり, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
