声が綺麗ですね
koe ga kirei desu ne
To say "your voice is beautiful" in Japanese, you use 声が綺麗ですね (koe ga kirei desu ne).
This phrase is a compliment used to tell someone that the sound of their voice is pleasant or lovely, specifically targeting the quality, tone or melody of someone's speaking or singing voice.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 声 (koe), meaning "voice", the particle が (ga) which marks the voice as the subject and the ending ですね (desu ne), which means "is, isn't it?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are several ways to express this depending on the social setting. For a more formal or literary feeling, you can use 声が美しいですね or あなたの声は美しいです。 In informal settings, such as when speaking to friends, you can use 君の声はきれいだね or 声が綺麗だね.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle が (ga) is a subject marker particle that marks 声 (koe) as the subject of the sentence. The ending ですね (desu ne) makes the sentence a polite statement that seeks a degree of agreement from the listener.
How do you pronounce it?
koe ga kirei desu ne
Did you know?
- Because Japanese culture values modesty, a person receiving this compliment will often deflect it by saying いえいえ (ie ie), which means 'no, no'.
- While 綺麗 (kirei) is used for 'beautiful' here, its original meaning is 'clean'. This is why the word is used both to describe a lovely voice and a tidy room.
- The word 声 (koe) is used for both human voices and the sounds of animals, whereas in English, we might distinguish between a 'voice' and a 'call' or 'cry'.
Examples in context
- 彼女は声が綺麗ですね。kanojo wa koe ga kirei desu ne.Her voice is beautiful, isn't it?
Example conversation
Yota is complimenting Misaki after hearing her sing a song.
- 陽太 Yota美咲さんは声が綺麗ですね。Misaki-san wa koe ga kirei desu ne.Misaki, your voice is beautiful.
- 美咲 Misaki本当ですか？ありがとうございます。Honto desu ka? Arigatou gozaimasu.Really? Thank you very much.
- 陽太 Yotaとても感動しました。Totemo kandou shimashita.I was very moved.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太さんにそう言ってもらえて嬉しいです。Yota-san ni sou itte moraete ureshii desu.I am happy to hear that from you, Yota.
