Translation guide
The English word "tears" refers to the liquid that comes from your eyes when you cry or when your eyes are irritated. In Japanese, the most common word is 涙 (なみだ). This guide covers how to talk about tears naturally in Japanese, including common phrases and expressions.
Referring to the physical tears themselves, whether from emotion or irritation.
The standard word for 'tears'. Used in all contexts.
Tears came out.
Wipe your tears.
Describes tears spilling or overflowing, often used in emotional contexts.
Tears spilled over from emotion.
Literally 'to shed tears'. A common way to say someone cried.
She shed tears because she was sad.
Tear glands. Often used in the phrase 涙腺が緩む (tear glands loosen) meaning to get teary-eyed.
My tear glands loosened and I ended up crying.
Expressing the act of crying or being emotionally overwhelmed to the point of tears.
The general verb for 'to cry'. Often used instead of explicitly mentioning tears.
I cried watching the movie.
Literally 'tears come out'. A natural way to say you get teary-eyed.
Hearing this story makes tears come out.
Means 'tears won't stop', used when crying uncontrollably.
I was so sad that tears wouldn't stop.
To be on the verge of tears, eyes welling up.
Specifically referring to tears caused by happiness, relief, or deep emotion.
Tears that are not genuine, often used to manipulate.
Fake crying. Commonly used for children or insincere displays.
The child fake cried.
False tears, more literary or dramatic.
Her tears were false tears.
To cry in a coaxing voice, implying insincerity. Not a direct translation of 'crocodile tears' but conveys a similar idea.
In English, we often say 'tears fell' or 'tears streamed down'. In Japanese, it's more natural to use 涙 as the subject with verbs like 出る, こぼれる, 流れる, but avoid overly poetic translations unless the context is literary. Simple phrases like 泣いた (I cried) are often better.
Tears are counted with 粒 (つぶ) for individual drops, or 滴 (しずく) for droplets. Example: 一筋の涙 (ひとすじのなみだ) means a single tear stream.
She wiped away her tears.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
I was moved to tears.
I welled up at his words.
He cried in a coaxing voice to beg forgiveness.