Translation guide
How to tell someone to be quiet, or describe quietness, in Japanese. Includes direct commands, polite requests, and descriptive words.
Polite request meaning 'Please be quiet.' Suitable for most situations where you need to ask politely.
図書館では静かにしてください。
Please be quiet in the library.
Casual command meaning 'Shut up' or 'Be silent.' Stronger and ruder than 静かにして. Use with caution.
Can be very rude; only use with close friends in informal settings or when angry.
黙って！
Shut up!
Formal or refined way to say 'Quiet, please.' Often used by staff in theaters, libraries, or announcements.
お静かに願います。
Quiet, please.
You want to describe a situation, place, or person as quiet, or the act of quieting something down.
Adjective meaning 'quiet' or 'silent.' Used for places, environments, or people.
夜の公園は静かだ。
The park at night is quiet.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to become quiet' or 'to calm down.' Used for sounds, crowds, or emotions.
Transitive verb meaning 'to quiet' or 'to calm' something or someone.
Verb meaning 'to fall silent' or 'to stop talking.' Often implies a sudden or deliberate silence.
You want to gently soothe a baby or someone upset to be quiet or calm.
Onomatopoeia for 'shh' or 'hush,' used to gently tell someone to be quiet, especially babies.
しーっ、赤ちゃんが寝てるよ。
Shh, the baby is sleeping.
Soothing sound used when comforting a child or pet, similar to 'there, there.' Not a direct 'hush' but serves a similar calming function.
よしよし、もう泣かないで。
There, there, don't cry anymore.
You want to express the idea of hushing up a scandal, rumor, or secret.
Verb meaning 'to hush up' or 'to cover up' a scandal or incident. Literally 'to rub out.'
会社は不祥事をもみ消そうとした。
The company tried to hush up the scandal.
Verb meaning 'to silence someone' or 'to buy someone's silence,' often by paying them off or threatening.
彼らは証人を口止めした。
They hushed the witness.
Formal verb meaning 'to conceal' or 'to cover up.' Used in legal or official contexts.
政府は事故の真相を隠蔽した。
The government hushed up the truth about the accident.
English 'hush' as a verb (e.g., 'He hushed the crowd') does not have a single direct equivalent. Use 静める (to quiet) or 黙らせる (to make someone shut up) depending on context. The interjection 'hush!' is best translated as しーっ or 静かにして.
静かにして is a general 'be quiet' and can be polite or casual. 黙って is stronger, closer to 'shut up,' and implies stopping speech entirely. Use 静かにして unless you intend to be rude.
嵐が過ぎて、海が静まった。
The storm passed and the sea became calm.
母親は泣いている赤ちゃんを静めた。
The mother quieted the crying baby.
He suddenly fell silent.