ぬるい
The Japanese word for lukewarm is ぬるい.
ぬるい is a common way to describe something as lukewarm. This can refer to physical temperature or to emotions. Additionally, the term ぬるま湯 refers specifically to lukewarm water and can be used metaphorically.
Meaning: temperature (adj)
Which one should you use?
Unlike the English word 'lukewarm', which can be neutral, ぬるい almost always carries a negative connotation of being insufficiently hot or cold.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense of ぬるい is ぬるかった, meaning 'was lukewarm'.
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific concept called ぬるま湯社会 or 'lukewarm water society' to describe a social environment where no one challenges the status quo.
- In many Japanese households, expressing that a bath is ぬるい can trigger an immediate reaction because the ideal bath temperature is expected to be quite high.
- The word ぬるい is often used in anime and manga when a villain describes a hero's ideals as 'sweet' or 'naive'.
Examples in context
- その水、生ぬるいよ。The water is lukewarm.This sentence is useful for describing the temperature of water using ぬるい.Tatoeba #8997638 by small_snow, translation #775204 by ekvintroj
- ぬるいコーヒーは、好きじゃないんだ。I don't like lukewarm coffee.This sentence is useful for expressing a dislike for lukewarm coffee using ぬるい.Tatoeba #8997645 by small_snow, translation #6665343 by CK
- スープがぬるい。The soup is lukewarm.
- 彼女はぬるい反応をした。She gave a lukewarm response.
- お茶が微温いです。The tea is lukewarm.
- お風呂の温度が少しぬるいですね。Ofuro no ondo ga sukoshi nurui desu ne.The bath temperature is a little lukewarm, isn't it?
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are having tea together.
- 蓮 Renこのお茶、ちょっとぬるいな。Kono ocha, chotto nurui na.This tea is a bit lukewarm.
- 陽葵 Himari本当だ。温め直そうか？Hontō da. Atatame naosō ka?You're right. Shall I heat it up again?
- 蓮 Renお願い。電子レンジでいいよ。Onegai. Denshi renji de ii yo.Please. The microwave is fine.
- 陽葵 Himariわかった。すぐにやるね。Wakatta. Sugu ni yaru ne.Got it. I'll do it right away.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ぬるい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
