めでたい · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | めでたい | めでたくない |
| Polite | めでたいです | めでたくないですalso めでたくありません |
| Past polite | めでたかったです | めでたくなかったですalso めでたくありませんでした |
| Past | めでたかった | めでたくなかった |
| Te-form | めでたくて | めでたくなくて |
| Adverbial | めでたく | |
| Conditional | めでたければ | めでたくなければ |
| Tara conditional | めでたかったら | めでたくなかったら |
Used for occasions, events, or news that are joyful and worth celebrating. Often appears in set phrases like めでたい席 or めでたい知らせ.
See also: おめでたい
今日は本当にめでたい日だ。
Today is truly a happy day.
Your marriage is nothing but joyous.
Describes a person who is overly optimistic, gullible, or lacking in worldly wisdom. Often used with a slightly critical or teasing tone.
See also: おめでたい
He's a naive guy who always trusts people right away.
My son's marriage is joyous news.
He's a naive guy who always trusts people too much.
He happily passed the university entrance exam.
幸せ describes personal happiness or well-being, whereas めでたい is used for celebratory events, news, or occasions rather than one's inner state.
おめでたい adds the polite prefix お to めでたい, making it a softer, more formal (or teasingly ironic) way of saying the same thing.
Rare ateji variant; not commonly encountered.
Extremely rare kanji form; included for search coverage only.