センスがいいね
sensu ga ii ne
In Japanese, "you have good taste" is expressed as センスがいいね (sensu ga ii ne).
The term センス refers to a sense of aesthetics and style. The phrase センスがいい is used broadly to compliment someone's fashion, interior design, choice of music or general aesthetic judgment.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase uses the particle ga to mark センス (sense) as the subject that is ii (good).
Which one should you use?
While センスがいいね is the standard way to say you have good taste, お洒落ですね specifically means "You have great style" and とてもセンスがありますね translates to "You have great sense."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The casual form センスがいいね should be used with friends, peers or subordinates. For a polite version suitable for speaking to superiors or strangers, add desu before ne to say センスがいいですね. In informal settings, you might also hear 君ってセンスいいよね to say "You have great taste, don't you?" or すごくセンスがいいんだね to express admiration.
How do you pronounce it?
sensu ga ii ne
Did you know?
- In a professional Japanese setting, telling a superior センスがいいですね might actually feel slightly condescending. Because it sounds like you are judging their ability, it is often safer to compliment the specific item or the result instead of their 'sense'.
- Japanese speakers use センス to describe the 'timing' of a joke or a social move. In this case, having good 'sense' refers to a person's intuition about the perfect moment to act.
- The word センス is a 'wasei-eigo' term, meaning it is an English-style word coined in Japan. It has evolved to mean specifically aesthetic style, which is much narrower than the English word 'sense'.
Examples in context
- 服のセンスがいいね。Fuku no sensu ga ii ne.You have good taste in clothes.
- 色のセンスがいいね。Iro no sensu ga ii ne.You have good taste in colors.
Example conversation
Yota and Misaki are looking at Misaki's new apartment.
- 陽太 Yota部屋のセンスがいいね。Heya no sensu ga ii ne.You have good taste in interior design.
- 美咲 Misaki本当？ありがとう。Hontou? Arigatou.Really? Thank you.
- 陽太 Yota家具がとてもおしゃれだよ。Kagu ga totemo oshare dayo.The furniture is very stylish.
- 美咲 Misaki嬉しい！嬉しいよ。Ureshii! Ureshii yo.I'm so happy!
