Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| うるさい | urusai | [ɯ̟ɾɯ̟sa̠i] (narrow) | impolite |
| お静かに | o-shizuka ni | polite | |
| お黙り | o-damari |
In Japanese, this phrase is used to tell someone to stop talking or to describe something as being noisy or annoying. It is a blunt way to react to both person's behavior and actual sounds.
What does it mean word for word?
The word うるさい literally means "noisy" or "annoying".
Which one should you use?
While うるさい is a blunt and often rude way to tell someone to shut up, お静かに is a polite way to request silence. お黙り is another form that can be used to command silence.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
うるさい is an impolite and informal way to say "shut up" or describe noise. For a polite request for silence, use お静かに. In very formal situations, you might say "すみませんが、ちょっと静かになってもらえませんか？" which translates to "Excuse me, could you please be a little quieter?" For a casual "be quiet" or "shush", you can use 黙って.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective うるさい conjugates to うるさかった in the past tense to describe a past state of being noisy or annoying.
How do you pronounce it?
urusai
Did you know?
- In the early 900s, うるさい could be used in a positive sense to describe someone who was impressively thorough or meticulous.
- The command お黙り is often associated with authoritative figures or characters in period dramas, such as a samurai or a royal addressing a subordinate.
- In modern slang, うるさい is sometimes used ironically between close friends to mean 'stop teasing me' even if the other person is speaking quietly.
Examples in context
- もううるさいな！Shut up already!This sentence shows how to use うるさい to express annoyance at someone talking too much.Tatoeba #9926683 by small_snow, translation #9926684 by DJ_Saidez
- 隣の猫って、ニャーニャーうるさいの。The cat next door won't ever shut up with all that meowing.This sentence uses うるさい to describe a cat's meowing as noisy.Tatoeba #11700360 by small_snow, translation #11760980 by end
- 黙って！Shut up!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta is talking too much while Himari is trying to study.
- 陽葵 Himariちょっと、うるさい！Chotto, urusai!Hey, shut up!
- 健太 Kentaごめん、集中してた？Gomen, shuuchuu shiteta?Sorry, were you concentrating?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、全然集中できない。Un, zenzen shuuchuu dekinai.Yeah, I can't concentrate at all.
- 健太 Kentaわかった、静かにするよ。Wakatta, shizuka ni suru yo.Okay, I'll be quiet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shut up” translations and entries うるさい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries うるさい, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
