The Meaning of dēto [デート] In Japanese

デート
デート
Romaji: dēto N5

What does デート mean?

Translation and Meaning

date, social outing with a romantic partner

Definition

デート means a date, the planned social outing between two people who may be romantically involved. In Japanese usage it refers to going out with a romantic interest or partner for leisure activities, and it can function as a noun or with suru to form a verb phrase meaning to date someone.

Type

Noun (名詞); also used as a suru-verb: デートする

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Romantic outing between two people, typically with romantic interest
  • Usage as a verb via デートする to go on a date or to date someone
  • Common in media and everyday speech to refer to dating or date-night concepts

Etymology

loanword from English date adapted to Japanese pronunciation as dēto, with the long vowel marker ー reflecting the English vowel length.

Origin

Introduced to Japanese through Western dating culture and media in the postwar era; the term gained popularity among youth from the 1960s onward and is now the standard word for romantic outings in contemporary Japanese.

Usage

Used predominantly in casual speech by young adults and in lifestyle media; in formal writing, speakers may opt for more neutral terms, but デートする and デートに行く are common in everyday conversations and social planning.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: Picture a calendar page with a heart on the date; the first syllable sounds like English ‘date’, and the long vowel mark ー signals a drawn-out, anticipatory mood for a social outing.

Variations

  • お付き合い (otsukiai) — romantic relationship
  • 付き合う (tsukiau) — to date/see someone
  • デートコース (deeto koosu) — date course

Example Phrases

  • 今日は 彼女と デートに 行く 予定だ。
    Kyou wa kanojo to deeto ni iku yotei da.
    I plan to go on a date with her today.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (kyou wa) – today
    • 彼女と (kanojo to) – with her
    • デートに (deeto ni) – to a date
    • 行く (iku) – go
    • 予定だ (yotei da) – it’s planned
    The word 「デート」 is a loanword used here as part of the verb phrase 「デートに行く」 meaning ‘to go on a date.’ The sentence also uses 「今日は」 for time ‘today’ and 「彼女と」 to indicate companionship.
デート