Translation guide
This guide covers how to talk about losing weight in Japanese, from intentional dieting to unintentional weight loss, including common expressions, nuances, and natural phrasing.
Expressing that someone is trying to lose weight or has successfully lost weight through effort.
The most common verb for 'to lose weight' or 'to become thin'. Can be used for both intentional and unintentional weight loss, but context usually makes it clear.
最近、痩せたね。
You've lost weight recently, haven't you?
痩せるためにジムに通っています。
I'm going to the gym to lose weight.
Refers specifically to intentional dieting or weight-loss efforts. Often implies a structured plan.
今、ダイエット中です。
I'm on a diet right now.
ダイエットに成功した。
I succeeded in losing weight (through dieting).
Literally 'to reduce body weight'. More formal or clinical than 痩せる.
体重を減らす方法を教えてください。
Please tell me how to lose weight.
Formal term for weight reduction, often used in medical, sports, or scientific contexts.
選手は試合前に減量する。
Athletes lose weight before a match.
Describing weight loss that happens without deliberate effort, often due to illness, stress, or other factors.
Also used for unintentional weight loss. Context or additional words clarify the lack of intention.
病気で痩せてしまった。
I lost weight due to illness.
ストレスで痩せた。
I lost weight from stress.
Neutral way to say 'body weight decreases', often used when the cause is not intentional.
最近、体重が減ってきた。
I've been losing weight lately.
Implies becoming gaunt or haggard, often from worry or hardship. Stronger emotional nuance.
Talking about the act of losing weight in a general sense, often as a goal or ongoing effort.
Nominalized form of 痩せる, meaning 'losing weight' as a concept or goal.
痩せることは難しい。
Losing weight is difficult.
Noun meaning 'weight reduction', used in formal or technical contexts.
減量が目標です。
Weight loss is my goal.
痩せる is a general verb for becoming thin, which can be intentional or not. ダイエットする specifically means to engage in a diet or weight-loss regimen. Use ダイエットする when emphasizing the effort or plan.
痩せたいからダイエットを始めた。
I started a diet because I want to lose weight.
The literal translation '体重を失う' is not natural Japanese. Use 痩せる or 体重が減る instead.
彼は心配でやつれてしまった。
He became haggard from worry.