悲しい知らせ
The Japanese phrase for "sad news" is 悲しい知らせ.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In formal situations, you can use the compound noun 悲報 to express 'sad news' or 'tragic news' more concisely than 悲しい知らせ. To introduce sad news formally, you might use the phrase 悲しいお知らせですが… (I have some sad news…) or 申し上げにくいのですが… (It's difficult for me to say this, but…). For informal situations, you can say 悲しいニュースがあるんだけど… (I have some sad news, but…) or ちょっと悲しい知らせがあるんだよ。 (I have a bit of sad news.). Another informal way to frame it is びっくりするかもしれないけど、悲しい話なんだ。 (This might come as a surprise, but it's a sad story.).
Did you know?
- While 悲報 means 'sad news', it is now frequently used as internet slang to announce the failure of a game or the end of a favorite show, often in a hyperbolic or ironic way.
- Japanese has a specific term 惜しい that expresses a type of 'sad news' where something is sad because it was almost achieved or is being lost too soon, which does not translate to 'sad' in English.
- If the 'sad news' involves a death, Japanese people often avoid using the word 'died' directly, instead using euphemisms like 亡くなった (passed away) or 逝去された (departed).
Examples in context
- 今日、悲しい知らせがあった。We received some sad news today.This sentence shows how to express that some sad news was received today.Tatoeba #11165380 by small_snow, translation #4501650 by CK
- 悲しい知らせを聞いて、彼女は泣き崩れました。Hearing the sad news, she collapsed in tears.This sentence illustrates the reaction of someone hearing the form 悲しい知らせ.Tatoeba #1037869 by bunbuku, translation #317776 by Lumi
- 悲しいお知らせですが、プロジェクトが中止されることになりました。I have some sad news. The project is going to be canceled.
- ちょっと悲しい知らせがあるんだけど、愛犬が亡くなったんだ。I have a bit of sad news. My beloved dog passed away.
- びっくりするかもしれないけど、彼女と別れることになった。This might come as a surprise, but I've ended my relationship with my girlfriend.
- これはとても悲しい知らせですね。Kore wa totemo kanashii shirase desu ne.This is very sad news, isn't it?
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are talking about a mutual acquaintance's passing.
- 美咲 Misaki本当に悲しい知らせです。Hontou ni kanashii shirase desu.It is truly sad news.
- 蓮 Renええ、信じられません。Ee, shinjiraremasen.Yes, I cannot believe it.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮さんはどう思いますか？Ren-san wa dou omoimasu ka?What do you think, Ren?
- 蓮 Renとても残念でなりません。Totemo zannen de narimasen.I find it deeply regrettable.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
