痛い
itai[ita̠i]
The English word 'painful' can be translated into Japanese as 痛い (itai). Wiktionary also lists 痛みの伴う (itami no tomonau).
Meaning: causing pain (adj)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 痛い | itai | [ita̠i] (narrow) |
| 痛みの伴う | itami no tomonau |
痛い is a common word for painful that can be used for both physical and emotional pain in informal contexts. While 痛い (itai) is an adjective meaning 'painful', it is very commonly used as an exclamation to mean 'It hurts!' when experiencing sudden pain.
Which one should you use?
痛みの伴う is another way to express something that is accompanied by pain.
How does it change in a sentence?
痛い is an i-adjective, meaning it can be used directly before a noun to modify it, such as 痛い場所 (painful place). The noun form of the adjective 痛い is 痛み, which is used to refer to the sensation of pain itself.
How do you pronounce it?
itai
Did you know?
- In modern Japanese slang, 痛い is used to describe someone who is behaving in a cringeworthy or embarrassingly oblivious way. It describes a social 'pain' rather than a physical one.
- The phrase 痛いところを突かれた literally means 'the painful spot was poked' but is used idiomatically to mean someone has pointed out a weakness or a sensitive truth.
- In some contexts, 痛い can be used to describe a taste that is so sharp or pungent it feels physically aggressive to the palate.
Examples in context
- 蜂に刺されるととても痛い。Bee stings can be very painful.This sentence shows how to use 痛い to describe the sensation of a bee sting.Tatoeba #82637 by small_snow, translation #321079 by CK
- この時間帯の日差しは痛いね。The sunlight is painful in this time period.This sentence uses 痛い to describe the discomfort of sunlight.Tatoeba #1754071 by bunbuku, translation #9986068 by tsp_2
- 一番痛いのが10として、０から10までの数字で痛みを評価してもらえますか？Could you rate your pain on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the most painful?This sentence uses 痛い to set the top end of a pain scale.Tatoeba #11932992 by bunbuku, translation #12279926 by CK
- 彼の傷は痛々しいです。His wound looks painful.
- この病気はとても辛いです。This illness is very painful.
- ぶつけてしまって、めちゃくちゃ痛い！I accidentally bumped into something, and it really hurts!
- そのニュースを聞いたとき、心が痛かった。My heart ached when I heard that news.
- 歯茎が疼いているんです。My gums are throbbing.
- 別れがつらかった。The breakup was painful.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui tells Kenta that she stubbed her toe.
- 結衣 Yuiあいた！足の指をぶつけた。Aitai! Ashi no yubi o butsuketa.Ouch! I stubbed my toe.
- 健太 Kenta大丈夫？かなり痛い？Daijoubu? Kanari itai?Are you okay? Is it very painful?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、まだすごく痛いよ。Un, mada sugoku itai yo.Yeah, it's still really painful.
- 健太 Kenta冷やしたほうがいいよ。Hiyashita hou ga ii yo.You should put some ice on it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “painful” translations and entries 痛い, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
