涙
[na̠mʲida̠]
The Japanese word for "tears" is 涙.
涙 refers to tears. You can use related forms to describe specific emotional or physical states, such as the adjective 涙もろい to describe a person who is easily moved to tears or has a sensitive temperament.
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe the physical act of tears coming out or shedding tears, the standard phrase is 涙が出る. For a more active or continuous act of shedding or flowing tears, use 涙を流す.
Did you know?
- Linguists have noted a curious similarity between the Japanese 涙 and the Thai word for tears, 'nám-dtaa', which literally means 'water eye'.
- In traditional Japanese aesthetics and literature, the act of shedding 涙 is often used as a powerful symbol of sincerity and deep apology in ways that differ from Western contexts.
Examples in context
- 鬼の目にも涙。Even the hard-hearted can be moved to tears.This example shows how even a hard-hearted person can be moved to tears using 涙.Tatoeba #182945 by small_snow, translation #20066 by CM
- 彼女は涙した。She was in tears.This sentence describes someone being in tears using 涙.Tatoeba #8603500 by small_snow, translation #2768994 by Hybrid
- 彼女は涙もろい。She is easily moved to tears.This sentence describes someone who is easily moved to tears using 涙.Tatoeba #86239 by bunbuku, translation #317471 by CC
- 76 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are talking about a sad movie they just watched.
- 結衣 Yuiあの映画、感動して涙が出たよ。Ano eiga, kandou shite namida ga deta yo.I was so moved by that movie that tears came out.
- 健太 Kenta僕も、最後は涙が止まらなかった。Boku mo, saigo wa namida ga tomaranakatta.Me too, I couldn't stop my tears at the end.
- 結衣 Yui本当に、素敵なストーリーだったね。Hontou ni, suteki na sutoorii datta ne.It really was a wonderful story, wasn't it?
- 健太 Kentaそうだね。結衣も泣いていたよね。Sou da ne. Yui mo naite ita yo ne.You're right. You were crying too, Yui.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 涙, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 涙, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
