Translation guide
How to express 'cancel' in Japanese, covering plans, reservations, subscriptions, orders, and digital actions.
I need to cancel my reservation.
The event was canceled.
To call off a scheduled activity, meeting, or booking.
The most common and versatile loanword for 'cancel'. Used for reservations, orders, plans, and digital actions.
I canceled the hotel reservation.
Tomorrow's meeting has been canceled.
A native Japanese verb meaning 'to cancel' or 'to revoke'. Often used for orders, applications, or official actions. Slightly more formal than キャンセルする.
Used for canceling or suspending events, projects, or ongoing activities. Often implies a decision by an organizer.
The game was canceled due to rain.
Casual verb meaning 'to stop' or 'to quit'. Can be used for canceling personal plans, but sounds informal.
To terminate a membership, subscription, or automatic payment.
The standard term for canceling a contract, subscription, or membership.
To abort an operation, close a dialog, or revert a change in software.
Used as a button label or noun in UI. Often written in katakana.
To neutralize an effect or balance something.
Means 'to offset' or 'to cancel each other out'. Used in finance, physics, and formal contexts.
キャンセル is a general loanword for canceling plans, orders, or digital actions. 取り消し is often used for revoking or undoing an action (like an order or a message). 中止 is specifically for suspending or calling off events and activities.
Cancel an order (both ok, 取り消す slightly more formal)
注文を取り消したいのですが。
I'd like to cancel my order.
Can I cancel my application?
We had no choice but to cancel the event.
Shall we cancel tomorrow's plans?
I want to cancel my gym membership.
Please tell me how to cancel the subscription.
Also commonly used for subscriptions, especially in casual or digital contexts.
I canceled Netflix.
Please click 'Cancel'.
Noun form of 取り消す, used for 'undo' or 'cancel' in some software menus.
Cancel the operation?
The profits and losses canceled each other out.
Literally 'to negate' or 'to cancel out'. Used for sounds, effects, or abstract things.
A feature that cancels out noise.
旅行をキャンセルする / 中止する
Cancel a trip (キャンセル is more common; 中止 implies a larger decision)
For canceling a contract, subscription, or membership, 解約する is the natural choice. Using キャンセルする may sound too casual or imprecise.