いい人
ii hito
The Japanese phrase for "nice person" is いい人 (ii hito).
いい人 is used to describe someone as a nice person. While it is often a genuine compliment, be aware that depending on the context, calling someone a いい人 can sometimes imply that the person is "too nice" or lacks a strong personality or edge.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective いい (ii), meaning "good" or "nice" and the noun 人 (hito), meaning "person".
How does it change in a sentence?
This is an adjective-noun construction where the adjective いい modifies the noun 人 directly.
How do you pronounce it?
ii hito
Did you know?
- In romantic contexts, calling someone a いい人 is often a polite way to reject a confession. It essentially means 'You are a great person, but I am not attracted to you'.
- The phrase can be a coded critique in professional settings. If a job candidate is described as a いい人, it may suggest they lack the decisiveness or assertiveness required for a leadership position.
- While いい is the common spoken form, it is a phonetic evolution of the older word よい, which remains the standard for formal literature and speeches.
Examples in context
- いい人です。He is a nice person.This sentence is useful for saying that someone is a nice person using the form いい人.Tatoeba #229344 by bunbuku, translation #303816 by CK
- 彼女はとてもいい人です。She is a very nice person.This sentence is useful for describing someone as a very nice person using the form いい人.Tatoeba #91974 by small_snow, translation #311738 by CC
- 紀子さんて、ほんとにいい人ね。Noriko really is a nice person, isn't she?This sentence is useful for expressing that someone really is a nice person using the form いい人.Tatoeba #183114 by small_snow, translation #20236 by CN
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a new neighbor.
- 陽葵 Himari新しい隣人は、いい人かな？Atarashii rinjin wa, ii hito kana?Is the new neighbor a nice person?
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、すごくいい人だよ。Un, sugoku ii hito da yo.Yeah, he is a very nice person.
- 陽葵 Himariそれはよかった。Sore wa yokatta.That's good to hear.
- 大翔 Hiroto明るくて、いい人だよ。Akarukute, ii hito da yo.He's cheerful and a nice person.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
