Translation guide
How to tell someone to be quiet or stop talking, and how to describe keeping something secret.
The speaker wants one or more people to stop making noise or stop talking immediately.
The most common and neutral way to say 'be quiet'. Can be used with friends, family, or in casual situations.
静かにして。
Be quiet.
ちょっと静かにしてくれる？
Can you be quiet for a moment?
Literally 'shut up', stronger and more direct. Can be rude depending on tone and relationship.
Can sound harsh or commanding. Use only with close friends or when you intend to be blunt.
黙って。
Shut up.
Means 'noisy' or 'loud', often used as an exclamation meaning 'Shut up!' or 'You're too loud!'.
Polite, formal way to ask for quiet, often used in announcements or by staff.
お静かにお願いします。
Please be quiet.
The speaker wants someone to not reveal information, or describes the act of suppressing information.
To keep something a secret, often between a small group. Very common in daily conversation.
このことは内緒にしよう。
Let's keep this a secret.
彼はその話を内緒にした。
He kept the story quiet.
There is no single Japanese verb that covers both 'be quiet' and 'keep secret' like English 'hush up'. Choose the expression based on the intended meaning.
うるさい！
Shut up! / You're so loud!
To stay silent about something, to not mention it. Can imply deliberately hiding information.
彼は何も言わずに黙っていた。
He kept quiet and said nothing.
To tell someone to keep quiet, to hush someone up. Often implies paying or pressuring someone to stay silent.
彼らは証人を口止めした。
They hushed up the witness.
To cover up, to hush up a scandal or incident. Often used in news or formal contexts.
会社は不祥事をもみ消そうとした。
The company tried to hush up the scandal.