Translation guide
Describes objects, substances, or materials that have a large depth or width relative to their length, or a dense, heavy consistency. The best Japanese word depends on what is thick.
Describing something with substantial depth or width, like a thick book, a thick slice of bread, or a thick wall.
The most common word for 'thick' when referring to flat objects with depth, such as books, boards, walls, or slices of food. It emphasizes the dimension of thickness.
この辞書はとても厚い。
This dictionary is very thick.
厚いステーキを焼いた。
I grilled a thick steak.
Emphasizes that something is impressively or unusually thick, often with a sense of bulkiness. Commonly used for books, documents, or slices of food.
分厚い本を読んでいる。
I'm reading a very thick book.
Describing a liquid or semi-liquid that is dense, viscous, or not watery.
Used for liquids that are thick in the sense of being concentrated, dense, or rich, such as thick soup, thick paint, or thick cream. It can also mean 'strong' for flavors or colors.
このスープはとても濃い。
This soup is very thick.
濃いペンキを塗った。
I applied thick paint.
Describes a liquid that has a thick, syrupy, or viscous consistency, often used for sauces or soups. It focuses on the texture rather than concentration.
このソースはとろみがあって美味しい。
This sauce is thick and delicious.
Describes a thick, muddy, or gooey consistency, often with a negative or heavy connotation. Used for liquids that are unpleasantly thick.
このスープはどろっとしていて飲みにくい。
This soup is thick and hard to drink.
Describing hair, fur, or plants that are dense, lush, or growing closely together.
Used for thick hair or fur, meaning dense or heavy growth. Also used for thick vegetation or forests.
彼女は髪がとても濃い。
She has very thick hair.
濃い森の中を歩いた。
We walked through a thick forest.
Means 'densely packed' or 'thickly clustered', often used for vegetation or crowds. More formal than 濃い.
密集した藪をかき分けて進んだ。
We pushed through the thick undergrowth.
Describing fog, smoke, or air that is dense and hard to see through.
The standard word for thick fog or smoke, meaning dense and opaque.
濃い霧で前が見えなかった。
I couldn't see ahead because of the thick fog.
Used for thick fog or darkness when emphasizing depth or intensity, often in literary contexts.
Describing a strong, noticeable accent or a voice that is deep and heavy.
Used for a thick accent, meaning strong or heavy. Often combined with 訛り (なまり, accent).
彼は強い訛りがある。
He has a thick accent.
Describes a thick, deep voice. It literally means 'thick' in diameter, but for voices it implies a low, resonant quality.
厚い is for physical thickness of solid objects (books, boards). 濃い is for density or concentration of liquids, gases, hair, colors, or flavors. Using 厚い for soup would be unnatural; use 濃い instead.
Do not use 厚い (atsui) for liquids. It means physically thick like a board. For thick soup or paint, use 濃い (koi) or とろみがある (toromi ga aru).
A thick fog covered the valley.
He spoke in a thick voice.