Translation guide
The feeling of wanting something or someone very much, often with sadness because it is absent or unattainable. Japanese expresses this through nouns, adjectives, and verbs that capture different nuances: nostalgic yearning, painful missing, wistful desire, or deep craving.
Expressing a sentimental longing for something that is gone or far away, often with a bittersweet feeling.
An i-adjective meaning 'nostalgic' or 'dearly missed'. It describes the warm, fond feeling when remembering the past, a place, or a person. It is not a direct translation of 'longing' but is the most natural way to express a sentimental yearning in everyday Japanese.
I feel a nostalgic longing for the summer vacations of my childhood.
I miss the taste of my hometown.
A noun meaning 'nostalgia' or 'homesickness', often used in literary or formal contexts. It emphasizes a longing for one's hometown or the past.
His poetry is filled with a sense of longing for home.
A loanword from English 'nostalgia', used in modern contexts, often in media or artistic descriptions. Less common in daily conversation.
This movie evokes nostalgia for the 80s.
Expressing a strong, often sad, desire to be with someone or to have something that is absent.
An i-adjective meaning 'dear', 'beloved', or 'missed'. It conveys a heartfelt longing for a person, place, or thing that is not present. Commonly used for missing someone you love or a place you want to return to.
I long for you. / I miss you terribly.
I began to long for my hometown.
A noun meaning 'yearning' or 'admiration'. It often implies a longing for something idealized or out of reach, such as a dream, a lifestyle, or a person one admires.
A formal noun meaning 'longing' or 'yearning', often used in literary or poetic contexts for deep emotional attachment, especially romantic longing.
Expressing a strong wish or desire for something, often with a sense of unfulfillment.
A noun or suru-verb meaning 'earnest desire' or 'longing'. It conveys a deep, often desperate, wish for something. Used in both personal and formal contexts.
I long for peace.
A noun or suru-verb meaning 'craving' or 'thirst for'. It implies an intense, almost physical longing, often for abstract things like knowledge, power, or love.
A verb meaning 'to long for', 'to yearn for', or 'to admire'. It is the verb form of 憧れ and is commonly used for desiring an idealized state or person.
A grammar pattern meaning 'I'm dying to do something'. It expresses a strong, almost uncontrollable desire. Attach to the stem of a verb.
I'm longing to see you.
Expressing a profound, often melancholic longing, typically in written or artistic contexts.
A literary noun meaning 'longing' or 'affection', often with a romantic or nostalgic nuance. Used in poetry and song lyrics.
a song of longing
A noun meaning 'pathos' or 'sorrowful longing'. It conveys a sense of melancholy and wistfulness, often associated with beauty or the passage of time.
Both can be translated as 'miss' or 'long for', but they differ in nuance. 恋しい (koishii) is used for people, places, or things that you personally miss and want to be with again, often with a sense of love or deep attachment. 懐かしい (natsukashii) is used for memories or things from the past that bring a warm, fond feeling, but not necessarily a desire to return to them. For example, you would say あなたが恋しい (I miss you) to a living person, but 子供の頃が懐かしい (I feel nostalgic for my childhood) about a past time.
I miss my boyfriend.
I feel nostalgic for my school days.
There is no single Japanese word that covers all uses of 'longing'. Direct translations like 憧れ (akogare) or 切望 (setsubou) may sound too formal or intense in casual conversation. Often, Japanese expresses the feeling through adjectives like 恋しい or 懐かしい, or through verb phrases like 〜たくてたまらない. Avoid using ロンギング (a direct loanword) as it is not natural.
都会への憧れが強い。
I have a strong longing for the big city.
She had longed for Paris since she was a child.
He composed a poem expressing his longing for his late wife.
He was longing for freedom.
知識を渇望する。
I thirst for knowledge.
He longs for city life.
哀愁を帯びたメロディー
a melody tinged with longing and sorrow