English–Japanese
“wasteful” in Japanese
Japanese
Pronunciation
Romajimottainai
Example
水を出したままにするのはもったいないです。mizu o da shi ta ma ma ni su ru no wa mo tta i na i de su
It is wasteful to leave the water running.
How to say “wasteful” in Japanese
“Wasteful” in Japanese is もったいない (mottainai).
もったいない (mottainai) describes something valuable being left unused or lost, with a sense that wasting it is regrettable.
Example sentences with もったいない
まだ使える服を捨てるのはもったいないです。ma da tsuka e ru fuku o su te ru no wa mo tta i na i de su
It is wasteful to throw away clothes that are still usable.
Tips for using もったいない
- For English speakers, もったいない (mottainai) covers both wasteful use and regret that something useful or valuable is being wasted, so wasteful alone can miss part of its meaning.