How do you say "deep" in Japanese?

深い

fukai

Adjective Kanji

In Japanese, "deep" is 深い (fukai).

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Pronunciation

深い is written using kanji. Romanised as fukai, it sounds roughly like "foo-kah-ee" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Fukai (深い) is an i-adjective used for literal water depth and metaphorical depth like deep feelings or understanding. The kanji 深 uses the water radical to suggest going down into depths.

Example sentence

この川はとても深いです。

Kono kawa wa totemo fukai desu.

This river is very deep.

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How to remember 深い

The water radical on the left suggests depth in water. Visualize diving deeper and deeper into dark water to remember this word.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese adjectives.

Questions about 深い

How do you pronounce 深い?

深い is romanised as fukai. Say it roughly like "foo-kah-ee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 深い formal or casual?

深い is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 深い written in Japanese?

深い is written using kanji. Fukai (深い) is an i-adjective used for literal water depth and metaphorical depth like deep feelings or understanding.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Deep" in other languages

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