結婚している
kekkon shite iruverb
The Japanese way to say "married" is 結婚している (kekkon shite iru), which describes being in a state of marriage.
In Japanese, you use the continuous state form rather than a simple adjective to describe the state of being married.
Meaning: in a state of marriage, having a wife or a husband (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the noun kekkon (marriage) and the verb shite iru (is doing/is in the state of).
Which one should you use?
結婚している describes the ongoing state of being married, whereas kekkon shita describes the completed action of getting married. To express the act of getting married itself, you can use kekkon suru.
How does it change in a sentence?
The polite form of 結婚している is 結婚しています.
How do you pronounce it?
kekkon shite iru
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific term 事実婚 'jitsukon' for couples who are 'married in fact' but have not legally registered their marriage with the government.
- The term 結婚 'kekkon' uses the character 婚 which specifically refers to the act of marriage, while the character 結 means 'to tie' or 'to bind'.
- When asking someone if they are married, it is often more polite to ask about their 'family circumstances' rather than using the word kekkon directly.
Examples in context
- 彼は結婚しているのかしら。I wonder if he is married.This sentence is useful for wondering about someone's marital status using 結婚している.Tatoeba #107796 by bunbuku, translation #295889 by sacredceltic
- 彼女は外国人と結婚している。She is married to a foreigner.This sentence is useful for describing someone being married to a foreigner using 結婚している.Tatoeba #90732 by bunbuku, translation #312980 by CH
- 私の兄は２人とも結婚している。Both of my brothers are married.This sentence is useful for stating that both brothers are married using 結婚している.Tatoeba #163820 by small_snow, translation #250690 by CK
- Watashi wa kekkon shite iru. (私は結婚している)I am married.
- Kanojo to kekkon suru. (彼女と結婚する)I will marry my girlfriend.
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their friend's life.
- 陽葵 Himari田中さんはもう結婚しているの？Tanaka-san wa mou kekkon shite iru no?Is Mr. Tanaka already married?
- 陽太 Yotaうん、彼はもう結婚しているよ。Un, kare wa mou kekkon shite iru yo.Yes, he is already married.
- 陽葵 Himariそうなんだ。奥さんは優しい人？Sou nanda. Okusan wa yasashii hito?I see. Is his wife a kind person?
- 陽太 Yotaとても優しい人だよ。Totemo yasashii hito da yo.She is a very kind person.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “married” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
