Those who start learning Japanese or are immersed in the language through reading, anime, dramas, 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 these and other words that express happiness in the Japanese language.
Other interesting words that express happiness in the Japanese language are yorokobu [喜ぶ] and shiawase [幸せ]. Notice that all these words can express feelings of joy, but they all have different ideograms. Let’s start by analyzing each word.
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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 accomplishing something today. The ideogram [嬉] that composes this adjective means happy, satisfied, and joyful.
Below we will see some example sentences with the word ureshii:
| 連れてきてもらえて嬉しいです。 | Tsurete kite moraete ureshīdesu. | I’m happy that you brought me. |
| 僕はとてもうれしい。 | Boku wa totemo ureshī. | I’m so happy. |
| 僕だって彼女を恋人にできてうれしいんだ。 | Boku datte kanojo o koibito ni dekite ureshī nda. | I’m so happy that she is mine. |
| また会えてうれしいわ。 | Mata aete ureshī wa. | I’m happy to see you again. |
I noticed 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 the adjective ureshii:
| Portuguese | Japanese | Romaji |
| Crying with joy | 嬉し泣き | ureshinaki |
| Looks happy, looks content | 嬉しがる | ureshigaru |
| Flattery, adulation, praise | 嬉しがらせ | ureshigarase |
| Play, pleasure | 嬉戯 | kigi |
| Happy, joyful, content | 嬉々 | kiki |
| Happy laughter | 嬉笑 | kishou |
The meaning of Tanoshii
The word tanoshii [楽しい] means pleasant, fun, happy, and delightful. 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-lasting happiness. There are cases where both are interchangeable when expressing happiness.
Below we will see some example sentences:
| 旅行中楽しい思いをした。 | Ryokō-chū tanoshī omoi o shita. | I had a lot of fun during the trip. |
| 旅行は楽しかったですか。 | Ryokō wa tanoshikattadesu ka. | Did you enjoy your trip? |
| あまり楽しくなかったな。 | Amari tanoshikunakatta na. | I didn’t have much fun. |
| 僕も君と同様楽しくない。 | Boku mo kimi to dōyō tanoshikunai. | I’m not happier than you. |
In the sentences from jisho, I observed that tanoshii can replace words like pleasure, like, enjoy, tasty, delicious, pleasant, enjoy, and even talk or other fun actions. Sometimes we don’t need to specify an action, we just say it was fun or that we were doing fun things.
Below we will show some words that have the ideogram [楽] or the adjective tanoshii:
| Portuguese | Japanese | Romaji |
| Comfort, ease (na-adjective) | 楽 | raku |
| Enjoy, have fun (verb) | 楽しむ | tanoshimu |
| Pleasure, fun, pastime (na-adjective) | 楽しみ | tanoshimi |
| Sheet music | 楽譜 | gakufu |
| Optimism, being an optimistic person | 楽観 | rakkan |
| Dressing room, backstage | 楽屋 | gakuya |
| Paradise | 楽園 | rakuen |
| Easy victory | 楽勝 | gakushou |
| Musical instrument | 楽器 | gakki |
Other words that express happiness
Shiawase [幸せ] – Literally means happiness, good luck, and blessing. A long-term 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] – 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 | 幸甚 | koujin |
| Joyful expression, satisfied look | 湯色 | yushoku |
| Happy, auspicious, favorable, joyful, naive | 目出度い | medetai |
| Harmonious, peaceful, happy, friendly, trouble-free | 円満 | enman |
| Pleasant, cheerful, happy, and fun. | 愉快 | yukai |
| Good humor, happy, cheerful | 機嫌 | kigen |
| Happy, elated, in good spirits, cured | 快然 | kaizen |
| Happy (English) | ハッピー | happii |
| Play, have fun | 遊ぶ | asobu |
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