厳しい
kibishii[kʲibʲiɕii]
The English word 'stern' is translated into Japanese as 厳しい (kibishii) when used as an adjective.
The adjective 厳しい (kibishii) is used to describe someone or something that is stern, strict or harsh. This includes describing a person's grim and forbidding facial expressions, as well as strict rules, harsh environments or difficult conditions.
Meaning: grim and forbidding in appearance (adj)
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
kibishii
Did you know?
- In professional Japanese culture, being called 厳しい is often a compliment. It implies the person has high standards and is a serious mentor rather than just being unkind.
- The root of 厳しい originally had nothing to do with personality, but instead meant 'tight' or 'close' without any gaps.
- In Japanese, 厳しい can describe a situation that is 'stern' or 'grim' in a way that implies it is almost impossible to succeed, such as a 'stern' competition.
Examples in context
- 彼は厳しい表情をしている。He looks stern.This sentence is useful for describing someone's facial expression using 厳しい.Tatoeba #11193235 by bunbuku, translation #288960 by CS
- トムは厳しい視線をメアリーに送った。Tom gave Mary a stern look.This sentence shows how to use 厳しい to describe a look.Tatoeba #10917173 by SomeHungryBois, translation #3724459 by CM
- 彼女の厳しい表情に、彼は話すのをやめた。Her stern look got him to quit talking.This sentence illustrates the effect of a look described by 厳しい.Tatoeba #1206187 by bunbuku, translation #388379 by CK
- 彼は厳しい教師です。He is a stern teacher.
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are talking about a new teacher at school.
- 蓮 Ren新しい先生は、とても厳しい人だね。Atarashii sensei wa, totemo kibishii hito da ne.The new teacher is a very stern person, isn't he?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、顔つきも厳しい感じがする。Un, kaotsuki mo kibishii kanji ga suru.Yeah, his expression also feels stern.
- 蓮 Renでも、教え方は丁寧だよ。Demo, oshiekata wa teinei da yo.But his way of teaching is polite.
- 結衣 Yuiそうだね、蓮君の言う通りだね。Sou da ne, Ren-kun no iu toori da ne.That's true, it's just as you say, Ren.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 厳しい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 厳しい, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
