Translation guide
In Japanese, expressing a 'broken heart' ranges from clinical terms for heartbreak to poetic phrases about a shattered heart. The most common and natural expressions focus on the emotional pain of lost love, often using the metaphor of a heart being broken, torn, or aching.
Express the feeling of heartbreak, sadness, and emotional suffering after a romantic breakup or deep disappointment.
The most common and direct term for heartbreak from unrequited love or a breakup. It refers to the experience of lost love rather than the physical organ.
失恋して、毎日泣いている。
I'm heartbroken and cry every day.
Literally 'the heart breaks/snaps'. Used for emotional devastation, often from failure or harsh treatment, but also for romantic heartbreak. Conveys a sense of being crushed.
彼に振られて、心が折れた。
He dumped me and my heart broke.
Literally 'chest hurts'. A common way to describe the physical sensation of emotional pain, like a heavy or aching heart.
その話を聞くと、胸が痛む。
Hearing that story makes my heart ache.
A more literary or formal term for a wounded heart, often used in writing or news. It implies deep emotional hurt.
傷心の彼女を慰める。
I comfort her broken heart.
To be lost in grief or sorrow. A stronger, more dramatic expression for being overwhelmed by sadness, not limited to romance.
彼は失恋の悲嘆にくれている。
He is lost in the grief of a broken heart.
Describe someone as being heartbroken or having a broken heart as a condition.
The past tense of 失恋する, used as 'heartbroken'. It describes the state after experiencing lost love.
彼は失恋したばかりだ。
He just had his heart broken.
Literally 'heart is broken'. A direct but somewhat dramatic way to say one's heart is broken, often used in songs or emotional speech.
もう心が壊れたみたい。
It feels like my heart is already broken.
Express the action of causing someone emotional pain, typically in a romantic context.
Literally 'to wound the heart'. A common and natural way to say you hurt someone emotionally, not limited to romance.
彼女の心を傷つけてしまった。
I ended up breaking her heart.
To reject or dump someone romantically. While not a direct translation of 'break a heart', it's the most common action that leads to heartbreak.
彼に振られて、心が折れた。
He dumped me and my heart broke.
The direct translation '壊れた心' (kowareta kokoro) is not commonly used for emotional heartbreak. It sounds more like a physically broken heart or a mechanical failure. Stick to the expressions above for natural Japanese.
失恋 specifically refers to disappointment in love, while 心が折れる can be used for any kind of emotional breakdown or loss of motivation. Use 失恋 for romantic heartbreak, and 心が折れる when the feeling is more about being crushed or defeated.
彼女は失恋の痛手を癒している。
She's nursing a broken heart.
Uses 失恋 and 痛手 (pain/wound) to convey the idea of healing from heartbreak.
彼は失恋がもとで死んだ。
He died of a broken heart.
A somewhat literal but acceptable translation, though 'died of a broken heart' is more poetic in English. In Japanese, it's often expressed as dying from the stress or grief of lost love.