楽しむ
tanoshimu[ta̠no̞ɕimɯ̟]
To have fun in Japanese is 楽しむ (tanoshimu).
楽しむ means to enjoy oneself or take pleasure in an activity. While it can mean to have fun in a general sense, it is a transitive verb that typically requires an object (the thing being enjoyed) in a complete sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
tanoshimu
Did you know?
- When someone says 楽しんできてね (tanoshinde kite ne), they are not just telling you to have fun, but literally telling you to 'go and come back having had fun'.
- The kanji for 楽しむ is composed of the characters for 'happiness' or 'joy' (楽), which is also the same character used in the word for 'music' (音楽, ongaku).
- If you want to say you are 'having fun' right now in a more colloquial way, you might use the expression 遊ぶ (asobu), which literally means 'to play' but is frequently used by adults to mean hanging out or having a good time.
Examples in context
- 働くより楽しむほうが簡単である。It's easier to have fun than to work.This sentence is useful for comparing the ease of having fun with the act of working using the form 楽しむ.Tatoeba #138742 by HARUMI, translation #2447 by Zifre
- 旅行を思い切り楽しむ。Ryoko o omoikiri tanoshimu.To enjoy the trip to the fullest.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 楽しむ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
