Translation guide
This guide covers how to express forgetting in Japanese, from simple memory lapses to leaving things behind and intentional disregard.
Express that you cannot remember something or have forgotten information.
The most common verb for forgetting. Transitive, so it takes を. Can be used for facts, names, events, etc.
I forgot his name.
Don't forget the promise.
Literally 'cannot recall'. Used when you are trying to remember but can't. Emphasizes the inability to retrieve the memory.
I can't remember the title of that movie.
A colloquial term for a temporary lapse of memory, like 'brain fart'. Often used for forgetting something you should know.
I totally blanked on his name.
Express that you accidentally left an item somewhere.
Express that you failed to perform an intended action.
Express intentionally disregarding or moving on from something.
Can also mean to put something out of your mind, often with もう (already) or in imperative form.
Literally 'don't mind'. Used to tell someone not to worry about something, effectively 'forget about it'.
Don't worry about the mistake. / Forget about the failure.
Idiom meaning 'let bygones be bygones', literally 'let it flow away in the water'. Used for forgiving and forgetting past issues.
Express that something is no longer remembered by people.
English uses 'forget' for both memory and leaving items. Japanese uses 忘れる for both, but context and particles differ. For leaving, use location に/で + object を忘れる.
忘れる is general forgetting. 思い出せない specifically means you are trying to recall but can't. Use 思い出せない when the memory is on the tip of your tongue.
I left my wallet at home.
I left my smartphone at the cafe.
Be sure not to forget to submit the documents.
I want to forget unpleasant things quickly.
Let's let bygones be bygones.
Memories of the war are fading.