いい
ii[iː]
The Japanese word for nice is いい (ii).
いい is used to describe something as attractive or friendly. Depending on the context, it can also be used more broadly to mean 'okay' or 'sufficient'. For more specific nuances, you might use 素敵 for 'lovely', かっこいい for 'cool or awesome' or すごい for 'amazing or impressive'.
Meaning: attractive, friendly (adj)
Which one should you use?
While いい generally means 'nice' or 'good', it can also function to indicate that something is sufficient or acceptable. For higher levels of admiration, formal alternatives like すばらしい (outstanding/excellent), 素晴らしい (magnificent) or 立派 (substantial/commendable) are more appropriate.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to say something was nice, the past tense is よかったです (using the stem よ). To make it negative, use よくない (not nice). When you need to use it as an adverb to modify a verb, it changes to よく.
How do you pronounce it?
ii
When do people say it?
In Japanese, if you wish to tell someone they are doing a great job, you can say 頑張っていますね.
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, calling someone いい人 (a nice person) can be a 'backhanded' compliment, suggesting they are kind but boring or lack a strong personality.
- Using いい can actually mean 'no' in certain contexts. If someone offers you something and you say いいです, you are often politely declining by saying the current situation is already 'good' or 'sufficient'.
- The phrase いいですね (That's nice) is frequently used as a conversational filler to show agreement or empathy without necessarily meaning the speaker thinks the thing is actually good.
Examples in context
- いい人です。He is nice.This sentence shows how to describe a person using いい.Tatoeba #229344 by bunbuku, translation #66702 by CK
- 天気はいい？Is the weather nice?This sentence uses いい to ask about the weather.Tatoeba #8763912 by bunbuku, translation #871776 by CK
- いい日ですね。It's a nice day, isn't it?This sentence uses いい to comment on a day.Tatoeba #229326 by small_snow, translation #51842 by CK
- 作品がすばらしいですねYour artwork is amazing.
- 彼の奮闘は立派ですよHis efforts are admirable.
- 素晴らしい料理でしたThe food was marvelous.
- その服、いいねThat outfit looks nice.
- その髪型、かっこいいねYour hairstyle looks cool.
- すごいね、おめでとうWow, congratulations, that's amazing!
- そのドレス、素敵ですねThat dress looks lovely.
- 212 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are talking about a new classmate.
- 健太 Kenta新しいクラスメートはいい人だね。Atarashii kurasumēto wa ii hito da ne.The new classmate is a nice person, isn't he?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、とても親切そうだよ。Un, totemo shinsetsu sō da yo.Yeah, they seem very kind.
- 健太 Kenta性格がいいと安心するね。Seikaku ga ii to anshin suru ne.It's reassuring when someone has a nice personality.
- 美咲 Misaki本当に。仲良くなりたいな。Hontō ni. Nakayoku naritai na.Truly. I want to become friends with them.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry いい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
