Those who start learning Japanese or are immersed in the language through reading, anime, doramas, or interacting with Japanese people must have heard the word ureshii [嬉しい] or tanoshii [楽しい]. In this article, we will try to understand in depth these and other words that express happiness in the Japanese language.
Other interesting words that express happiness in Japanese are yorokobu [喜ぶ] and shiawase [幸せ]. Notice that all of these words can express feelings of joy, but both have different ideograms. Let's start by analyzing word by word.
Table of Contents
The meaning of Ureshii
The word ureshii [嬉しい] is an i-adjective that means happy and pleasant. The word ureshii is more commonly used in moments or brief feelings of happiness, like someone who is happy for achieving something today. The ideogram [嬉] that makes up this adjective means happy, satisfied, and cheerful.
Below we will see some example sentences with the word ureshii:
| I'm glad to be brought along. | Tsurete kite moraete ureshīdesu. | I'm glad you brought me. |
| I am very happy. | Boku wa totemo ureshī. | I am so happy. |
| I'm happy that I could make her my girlfriend too. | I'm happy that I can become her boyfriend too. | I'm so glad she's mine. |
| I’m glad to see you again. | Mata aete ureshī wa. | I'm happy to see you again. |
I observed in the sentences and in the translations from jisho that the word ureshii can be used in various situations to replace words like great, thank you, comforting, pleasure, proud, and grateful.
Below we will show some words that have the ideogram [嬉] or adjective ureshii:
| Portuguese | Japanese | Romaji |
| crying with joy | happy tears | ureshinaki |
| Looks happy, looks happy | Rejoice | ureshigaru |
| Flattery, adulation, praise | Make happy | ureshigarase |
| joke, pleasure | Playfulness | kigi |
| Happy, Joyful, Glad | delighted | kiki |
| happy laughs | Cheerful laughter | The string "kishou" does not require translation as it is a foreign word. It remains "kishou" in English. |
The meaning of Tanoshii
The word tanoshii [楽しい] means pleasant, fun, happy, and delicious. Used in situations like "This day was very fun" or "I had a lot of fun with that". The ideogram [楽] can mean music, comfort, and ease and is involved in various words related to pleasant things like wonderful music.
Unlike ureshii, the word tanoshii is often used to show sustained and long-term happiness. There are cases where the two are interchangeable when expressing happiness.
Below are some example sentences:
| I had a fun time during my trip. | I had pleasant thoughts during the trip. | I had a lot of fun during the trip. |
| Did you have fun on your trip? | Ryokō wa tanoshikattadesu ka. | Did you like your trip? |
| It wasn't very fun. | Amari tanoshikunakatta na. | I didn't have much fun. |
| I'm not having fun either, just like you. | I also don't enjoy it like you do. | I'm not happier than you. |
Nas frases do jisho eu pude observar que tanoshii pode substituir palavras como prazer, gostar, divertir, gostoso, delicioso, agradável, aproveitar e até conversar ou outras ações divertidas. Às vezes não precisamos especificar uma ação, apenas dizemos que foi divertido ou que estávamos fazendo coisas divertidas.
Below we will show some words that have the ideogram [楽] or adjective tanoshii:
| Portuguese | Japanese | Romaji |
| Comfort, ease (adjective) | Enjoyment | raku |
| enjoy, have fun (verb) | enjoy | enjoy |
| Pleasure, amusement, pastime (adjective-na) | Exciting | taoreru |
| Sheet music | sheet music | gakufu |
| Optimism, being an optimistic person | Optimism | rakkan |
| dressing room, backstage | backstage | gakuya |
| Paradise | Paradise | paradise |
| Walkover | Easy win | gakushou |
| Musical instrument | musical instrument | gakki |
Other words that express happiness
Happiness [幸せ] - Literally means happiness, good luck, and blessing. A lasting and deeper happiness. The word shiawase is used in situations like "they married and lived happily ever after." The word is formed with the kanji [幸] which means happiness, blessing, and fortune.
Yorokobu [喜ぶ] - It is a verb that literally means to be delighted, to be happy, to be satisfied, to congratulate, and to have gratitude. Yorokobu has a nuance that describes a feeling objectively. Its ideogram [喜] means to rejoice, to take pleasure, and to be glad. I see this word a lot in the bible.
Omoshiroi [面白い] - Literally means interesting, fascinating, intriguing, captivating, fun, funny, comical, and pleasant.
| Portuguese | Japanese | Romaji |
| Satisfied, Grateful, Appreciative | gratefully | koujin |
| Cheerful expression, satisfied look | Yuyaka | dinner |
| Happy, auspicious, propitious, joyful, naive | Happy | happy |
| Harmonious, Peaceful, Happy, Friendly, Trouble Free | Harmony | It seems that "enman" is not a Portuguese word. If you meant a different term or if there's a context you're referring to, please provide more details! |
| Aggravable, cheerful, happy and fun. | Pleasant | yukai |
| Good mood, happy, cheerful | mood | kigen |
| Happy, exalted, good mood, cured | The term "快然" can be translated into English as "pleasant" or "happy." However, if it is being used as a name or title, it may be best to leave it as is. Please provide more context if you need a specific translation. | kaizen |
| happy (english) | Happy | happy |
| Play, have fun | play | play |
