How do you say "full" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "full" is いっぱい (ippai). It is a adjective pronounced "ee-ppah-ee".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

いっぱい is written in hiragana. Romanised as ippai, it sounds roughly like "ee-ppah-ee" to an English ear.

Example sentence

このカバンはいっぱいです。

Kono kaban wa ippai desu.

This bag is full.

Usage notes

Ippai (いっぱい) means full or filled up. It can describe a container, a stomach after a meal, or a crowded place. The phrase onaka ga ippai (おなかがいっぱい) is how you say 'I am full' after eating.

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Questions about いっぱい

How do you pronounce いっぱい?

いっぱい is romanised as ippai. Say it roughly like "ee-ppah-ee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is いっぱい formal or casual?

いっぱい is an i-adjective. The form shown is the plain form, which works in casual speech. To make it polite, add desu at the end of the sentence. The word itself does not change.

How is いっぱい written in Japanese?

いっぱい is written using hiragana. Hiragana is the basic Japanese syllabary used for native words and grammatical elements.

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.