Translation guide
How to express that a long time has passed since you last saw someone or did something. Japanese uses set phrases and time-related expressions rather than a direct translation.
You meet someone after a long absence and want to say 'it's been a long time' as a greeting.
The standard polite phrase for 'long time no see'. Use in most situations.
お久しぶりです。お元気でしたか？
It's been a long time. How have you been?
Casual version used with friends and family.
久しぶり！元気だった？
Long time no see! How've you been?
Very formal, often used in business or letters when you haven't contacted someone for a while.
ご無沙汰しております。いかがお過ごしでしょうか。
It's been a long time. How have you been?
You want to say that it's been a long time since something happened (not just meeting someone).
Pattern: [time expression] + から久しぶりだ. Means 'it's been a long time since...'. The time expression can be a specific event or a duration.
日本に来てから久しぶりだ。
It's been a long time since I came to Japan.
彼に会ってから久しぶりだ。
It's been a long time since I saw him.
Attach to a duration (e.g., 3年ぶりだ = it's been 3 years). Often used with specific time lengths.
10年ぶりに故郷に帰った。
I returned to my hometown for the first time in 10 years.
Literary/formal way to say 'haven't done something in a long time'.
久しく映画を見ていない。
I haven't watched a movie in a long time.
Avoid literal translations like '長い時間です' (it's a long time). That sounds unnatural as a greeting. Use set phrases like お久しぶりです instead.
久しぶり implies a longer absence (weeks to years), while しばらく (shibaraku) is for shorter periods (a few days to weeks). For 'it's been a while' in a shorter sense, use しばらくですね.