マスターする
masutā suru
To master in Japanese is マスターする (masutā suru). Wiktionary also lists 熟達する (jukutatsu suru).
Meaning: to learn to a high degree (verb)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| マスターする | masutā suru |
| 熟達する | jukutatsu suru |
マスターする is a common way to say one has mastered a skill, a technique or a language. It feels modern and is slightly more casual than traditional Japanese verbs. Related nouns like 船長 can refer to the captain of a merchant ship, while ぼっちゃま and 坊っちゃん are courtesy titles used for a boy.
Which one should you use?
マスターする is a common loanword used for various skills and languages.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the past tense of the loanword マスターする, you change the verb suru to マスターした, which means mastered.
How do you pronounce it?
masutā suru
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the word マスター can also mean a 'bar manager' or 'bartender'. This comes from the English term 'master of the house' or 'store master', and you might see it on a sign in a jazz bar.
- For those pursuing traditional arts, mastery is described as following a 道 or 'way', implying that mastering a skill is a lifelong spiritual journey rather than a destination.
- To express that someone has reached the absolute peak or ultimate end of a skill, Japanese uses the verb 極める, which carries a much more intense nuance than simply 'to master'.
Examples in context
- 英語をマスターするのは容易でない。English isn't easy to master.This sentence shows how to use マスターする to describe the difficulty of mastering English.Tatoeba #189090 by tommy__san, translation #26236 by jakov
- 外国語をマスターするには何年もかかる。It takes years to master a foreign language.This sentence uses マスターする to explain the time required to master a foreign language.Tatoeba #184780 by small_snow, translation #21910 by Eldad
- 外国語をマスターするには長い時間がかかる。It takes us a long time to master a foreign language.This sentence uses マスターする to state that mastering a foreign language takes a long time.Tatoeba #167277 by KK_kaku_, translation #247224 by CK
- Koji-san wa Roshi da. (浩二さんは老師だ。)Koji is a Zen master.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “master” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
