Japanese Emotions Vocabulary: 60 Words for Feelings in Japanese
Japanese carves up emotional experience differently from English. Where English says "embarrassed," Japanese distinguishes between 恥ずかしい (ashamed/embarrassed), 照れる (flustered in a shy way), and 気まずい (socially awkward). Where English says "lonely," Japanese separates 寂しい (missing someone) from 孤独 (existential isolation). This guide gives you 60 emotion words organised by category, with readings, JLPT levels, and the grammar patterns you need to actually use them.
Positive emotions
| Japanese | Reading | English | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 嬉しい | うれしい (ureshii) | happy, glad (situational) | N5 |
| 楽しい | たのしい (tanoshii) | fun, enjoyable | N5 |
| 幸せ | しあわせ (shiawase) | happy, content (deep) | N4 |
| うれしい気持ち | ureshii kimochi | feeling of happiness | N4 |
| 喜ぶ | よろこぶ (yorokobu) | to rejoice, be pleased | N3 |
| 満足 | まんぞく (manzoku) | satisfaction | N3 |
| 感謝 | かんしゃ (kansha) | gratitude | N3 |
| 安心 | あんしん (anshin) | relief, peace of mind | N3 |
| 興奮 | こうふん (koufun) | excitement | N2 |
| 誇り | ほこり (hokori) | pride | N2 |
| 感動 | かんどう (kandou) | being deeply moved | N3 |
| 希望 | きぼう (kibou) | hope | N3 |
Negative emotions
| Japanese | Reading | English | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 悲しい | かなしい (kanashii) | sad, sorrowful | N5 |
| 寂しい | さびしい (sabishii) | lonely (missing someone) | N4 |
| 怖い | こわい (kowai) | scary, afraid | N5 |
| 不安 | ふあん (fuan) | anxiety, unease | N3 |
| 心配 | しんぱい (shinpai) | worry, concern | N4 |
| 怒る | おこる (okoru) | to get angry | N4 |
| イライラする | iraira suru | to be irritated, annoyed | N3 |
| 落ち込む | おちこむ (ochikomu) | to feel down, depressed | N3 |
| 憂鬱 | ゆううつ (yuuutsu) | melancholy, gloom | N2 |
| 絶望 | ぜつぼう (zetsubou) | despair, hopelessness | N2 |
| 後悔 | こうかい (koukai) | regret | N3 |
| 嫌悪 | けんお (ken-o) | disgust, loathing | N1 |
Surprise and shock
| Japanese | Reading | English | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 驚く | おどろく (odoroku) | to be surprised, amazed | N4 |
| びっくりする | bikkuri suru | to be startled, shocked | N4 |
| 呆然とする | ぼうぜんとする | to be dumbfounded | N1 |
| 感心する | かんしんする | to be impressed | N3 |
| 戸惑う | とまどう (tomadou) | to be bewildered, confused | N2 |
| 困惑 | こんわく (konwaku) | perplexity, confusion | N1 |
Social emotions
| Japanese | Reading | English | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 恥ずかしい | はずかしい (hazukashii) | embarrassed, ashamed | N4 |
| 照れる | てれる (tereru) | to be shy, flustered (cute) | N3 |
| 気まずい | きまずい (kimazui) | awkward (social tension) | N2 |
| 申し訳ない | もうしわけない | sorry, feeling of guilt | N3 |
| 嫉妬 | しっと (shitto) | jealousy, envy | N2 |
| 孤独 | こどく (kodoku) | isolation, solitude | N2 |
| 羨ましい | うらやましい (urayamashii) | envious | N3 |
| 切ない | せつない (setsunai) | bittersweet, aching | N2 |
Physical-emotional states
| Japanese | Reading | English | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 疲れた | つかれた (tsukareta) | tired, exhausted | N5 |
| 眠い | ねむい (nemui) | sleepy | N5 |
| ストレス | sutoresu | stressed | N3 |
| 緊張する | きんちょうする | to be nervous, tense | N3 |
| ドキドキする | dokidoki suru | heart pounding (excitement/nerves) | N3 |
| 胸が痛い | むねがいたい | heartache (lit. chest hurts) | N2 |
| すっきりする | sukkiri suru | to feel refreshed, clear-headed | N3 |
| もやもやする | moyamoya suru | to feel unsettled, fuzzy | N2 |
| むかつく | mukatsuku | to feel sick (from anger/disgust) | N2 |
| ほっとする | hotto suru | to feel relieved | N3 |
Unique Japanese emotion concepts
| Japanese | Reading | Concept | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 物の哀れ | もののあわれ | pathos of things; bittersweet awareness of impermanence | — |
| 木漏れ日 | こもれび | sunlight filtering through leaves (aesthetic feeling) | — |
| わびしい | wabishii | lonely-desolate; sparse beauty in sadness | N1 |
| なつかしい | natsukashii | nostalgic (warm longing for the past) | N3 |
| 甘える | amaeru | to depend on someone's goodwill; childlike reliance | N2 |
| 義理 | giri | sense of duty, obligation | N2 |
| 遠慮 | えんりょ (enryo) | restraint; holding back out of consideration | N2 |
| 照れ隠し | てれかくし | hiding embarrassment (acting opposite) | N1 |
Grammar patterns for expressing emotions
〜と感じる (to feel that...)
- この映画を見て、悲しいと感じました。
Kono eiga wo mite, kanashii to kanjimashita.
Watching this film, I felt sad.
〜気がする (I have a feeling that...)
- なんか不安な気がする。
Nanka fuan na ki ga suru.
I have some feeling of unease.
〜になる (to become [an emotional state])
- 日本に来て、幸せになった。
Nihon ni kite, shiawase ni natta.
Coming to Japan, I became happy. - 彼女の話を聞いて、悲しくなった。
Kanojo no hanashi wo kiite, kanashiku natta.
Hearing her story, I became sad.
Emotion adjectives as い-adjectives vs な-adjectives vs nouns
| Type | Examples | Negative form |
|---|---|---|
| い-adjective | 嬉しい、悲しい、怖い、恥ずかしい、寂しい、楽しい | 嬉しくない |
| な-adjective | 幸せ、不安、憂鬱、孤独 | 幸せじゃない |
| Noun (with する) | 感謝、満足、安心、後悔 | 感謝しない |
| Verb | 怒る、喜ぶ、驚く、落ち込む | 怒らない |
Cultural note: indirect emotion expression in Japanese
Japanese culture places high value on 空気を読む (kuuki wo yomu, "reading the atmosphere") — being sensitive to unspoken feelings. As a result, Japanese speakers often express negative emotions indirectly:
- Instead of 悲しいです (I am sad), say あまり嬉しくないです (I'm not really happy) — a softened understatement that signals sadness without imposing it.
- Instead of 怒っています (I am angry), say ちょっと困りました (I was a bit troubled) — anger framed as inconvenience, much gentler.
- The suffix 〜かな at the end of a sentence signals internal musing: 寂しいかな... (I wonder if I'm lonely...) This is not a question to the listener but a voiced thought.
悲しいです vs 悲しんでいます — what is the difference?
Both express sadness but at different levels of explicitness and duration:
- ✓ 悲しいです — "I am sad" — a state description, relatively neutral
- ✓ 悲しんでいます — "I am grieving / in a state of sadness" — 悲しむ is a verb (to grieve); the 〜ている form expresses an ongoing emotional process
- ✓ 悲しそうです — "It looks/seems sad" — observation from the outside, less direct
Use 悲しんでいます when referring to ongoing grief (after a loss, for example). Use 悲しいです for a momentary sad feeling.
Expressing emotions in Japanese accurately requires getting particle usage and verb forms right. Check your emotional expressions with ZISTICA MOJIIQ's free grammar checker to catch subtle mistakes before they become habits.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "I feel happy" in Japanese?
The most natural expressions are 嬉しいです (situational happiness) or 幸せです (deep contentment). You can also say ドキドキしています for excited happiness or 楽しいです when referring to something fun.
What is the difference between 悲しい and 寂しい?
悲しい (kanashii) is general sadness or grief. 寂しい (sabishii) specifically means loneliness — the ache of missing someone or being alone. You might feel 悲しい at a funeral and 寂しい when a close friend moves abroad.
How do Japanese people express negative emotions indirectly?
Common strategies include understatement (あまり嬉しくない instead of 悲しい), framing anger as inconvenience (困りました), using かな to voice internal thoughts, and relying on context and tone rather than explicit emotional words.
What Japanese words describe embarrassment?
恥ずかしい (general embarrassment/shame), 照れる (flustered in a shy, cute way), and 気まずい (awkward social tension) each cover different shades of what English calls "embarrassed."
Are Japanese emotion words adjectives or nouns?
Both. Many are い-adjectives (嬉しい、悲しい、怖い), some are な-adjectives (幸せ、不安), some are nouns used with する (感謝する、満足する), and others are verbs (怒る、喜ぶ、落ち込む). Knowing the word type determines how you conjugate it.