How do you say "forget" in Japanese?

忘れる

wasure ru

Verb Kanji

In Japanese, "forget" is 忘れる (wasure ru).

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Pronunciation

Wa-su-re-ru, four syllables, the middle 'su' almost whispered between the stronger wa and re.

Writing and usage

忘れる is written using kanji. It's a verb, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

傘を忘れないでね。

kasa wo wasure naidene.

Don't forget your umbrella.

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How to remember 忘れる

Wasureru sounds like 'wa, sure, rue' — you were sure you'd remember, but you'll rue forgetting.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 忘れる

How do you pronounce 忘れる?

Wa-su-re-ru, four syllables, the middle 'su' almost whispered between the stronger wa and re.

Is 忘れる formal or casual?

忘れる 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 忘れる written in Japanese?

忘れる is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as wasure ru.

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.

"Forget" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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