Translation guide
How to say 'one's forte' in Japanese: expressing what someone is good at, their specialty, or strong point.
Expressing that something is a person's forte, strong suit, or area of expertise.
The most common and natural way to say something is one's forte. Used as a noun or na-adjective.
Cooking is my forte.
Math is his forte.
Polite version of 得意, often used in business contexts to refer to a customer's specialty or a regular customer.
What is your specialty dish?
Means 'specialty' or 'field of expertise'. More formal and often used for academic or professional specialties.
Physics is his forte.
Literally 'one's number 18', meaning one's signature party trick or best performance piece. Often used for karaoke songs or jokes.
I sang my signature song at karaoke.
Expressing that something is not one's strong point or is a weakness.
得意 (とくい) is used for personal skills and hobbies, while 専門 (せんもん) is for professional or academic specialties. 得意 is more common in everyday conversation.
Cooking is my forte. (personal skill)
My specialty is economics. (academic field)