Japanese word

嬉しい

Pronunciation

Romajiureshii

Meaning

  • i-adjectivehappy

Example

友達に会えて嬉しいです。tomo dachi ni a e te ure shi i de su

I am happy to see my friend.

Illustration for 嬉しい (happy)

More examples

友だちと遊べて嬉しいです。tomo da chi to aso be te ure shi i de su

I am happy to play with my friend.

合格の知らせを聞いて、とても嬉しかったです。gō kaku no shi ra se o ki i te to te mo ure shi ka tta de su

I was very happy to hear the news that I passed.

Core concept

Marks a personal sense of joy that comes from receiving, experiencing, or encountering something welcome.

Common phrases

  • 嬉しい知らせure shi i shi ra se

    happy news

  • 嬉しい気持ちure shi i ki mo chi

    happy feeling

  • 嬉しくてたまらないure shi ku te ta ma ra na i

    be extremely happy

Similar words

めでたいmedetai: Describes something fortunate and worthy of celebration.
楽しいtanoshii: Describes enjoyment and pleasure during an activity or period of time.
ありがたいarigatai: Describes a feeling of gratitude when someone provides help or kindness.

Definition in Japanese

好ましいことを経験したり望みがかなったりして、喜びの気持ちになる。kono ma shi i ko to o kei ken shi ta ri nozo mi ga ka na tta ri shi te yoroko bi no ki mo chi ni na ru

Word origin

嬉しい (ureshii) comes from the native adjective 嬉し (ureshi), which developed into the modern form 嬉しい (ureshii) with the ending い (i).

Usage tips

  • In conversation, 嬉しい (ureshii) often follows a reason or event, as in 会えて嬉しい (aete ureshii), which means that meeting someone makes the speaker happy.

Opposites

Related words

  • 嬉しさureshisahappinessnoun
  • 嬉しがるureshigaruact happyverb

Word lists with this word