思い出
omoide[o̞mo̞ide̞]
The English phrase 'memories' is translated into Japanese as 思い出 (omoide).
思い出 refers to mental recollections of past events, typically those that are cherished or nostalgic.
Which one should you use?
While 思い出 refers to nostalgic or emotional recollections, 記憶 refers to the cognitive faculty of memory or the storage of data/facts.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as a verb to mean 'cannot remember,' the noun 思い出 is transformed into the potential negative form of the verb omoidasu (to recall), resulting in 思い出せない.
How do you pronounce it?
omoide
What mistakes should you avoid?
記憶 is often used in scientific or psychological contexts.
Did you know?
- Japanese uses the phrase 思い出に浸る to describe 'soaking' in memories, treating nostalgia like a liquid medium one can immerse themselves in.
- The word 思い出 literally translates to 'thoughts coming out'.
- The word 思い inside 思い出 also relates to 思いやり, the Japanese cultural concept of empathy and anticipating others' needs.
Examples in context
- 大学生の頃の思い出が脳裏に浮かぶ。Memories of my college days come to my mind.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe memories of a specific time period using 思い出.Tatoeba #9149332 by small_snow, translation #21409 by AlanF_US
- これは僕の人生で一番の思い出になるよ。This will be one of the best memories of my life.This sentence shows how to express that something will become a significant memory using 思い出.Tatoeba #11277787 by bunbuku, translation #30073 by CK
- 彼は嫌な思い出が消えることを願っている。He wishes to erase bad memories.This sentence demonstrates how to talk about wanting to erase bad memories using 思い出.Tatoeba #5304 by bunbuku, translation #2119 by rul
- 彼との思い出を大切にするI cherish the memories with him.
- その日の記憶が鮮明に残っているThe memories of that day are vividly preserved.
- 最近、友達と昔の思い出話をしていたLately, I've been talking with my friend about past memories.
- 子供時代の追憶が心に浮かぶMemories of my childhood come to mind.
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two siblings are looking through an old photo album.
- 陽葵 Himari素敵な思い出がいっぱいだね。Sutekina omoide ga ippai dane.There are so many wonderful memories.
- 陽太 Yota本当に。この写真はいい思い出だよ。Hontoni. Kono shashin wa ii omoide dayo.Truly. This photo is a good memory.
- 陽葵 Himari陽太くんもそう思う？Youta-kun mo sou omou?Do you think so too, Youta?
- 陽太 Yotaああ、大切な思い出だ。Aa, taisetuna omoide da.Yeah, they are precious memories.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 思い出, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 思い出, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
