Japanese word

人生

Pronunciation

Romajijinsei

Meaning

  • nounlife

Example

人生は変わります。jin sei wa ka wa ri ma su

Life changes.

Illustration for 人生 (life)

More examples

わたしは人生を楽しみたいです。wa ta shi wa jin sei o tano shi mi ta i de su

I want to enjoy life.

失敗も人生の一部です。ship pai mo jin sei no ichi bu de su

Failures are also a part of life.

Core concept

Describes the whole course of a person's existence, including the time and experiences that make up that life.

Common phrases

  • 人生の意味jin sei no i mi

    meaning of life

Similar words

一生isshō: The complete time that a person is alive.
生涯shōgai: The years of a person's life, especially in relation to a career or activity.
命inochi: A person's state of being alive.

Definition in Japanese

人が生まれてから死ぬまでの一生。また、その間の生き方や経験。hito ga u ma re te ka ra shi nu ma de no is shō ma ta so no aida no i ki kata ya kei ken

Word origin

人生 (jinsei) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 人 (jin, "person") and 生 (sei, "life; birth"), referring to a person's life as a whole.

Usage tips

  • The Japanese board game 人生ゲーム (jinsei gēmu) is the local title of The Game of Life, where players move through a model lifetime.

Word lists with this word