How do you say "hurry" in Japanese?

急ぐ

isogu

Verb Kanji

In Japanese, "hurry" is 急ぐ (isogu).

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Pronunciation

I-so-gu, three light syllables, stress falling naturally on 'so' rather than the first or last sound.

Writing and usage

急ぐ 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

急がないと遅れちゃうよ。

isoga naito okure chauyo.

We must hurry or we'll be late.

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How to remember 急ぐ

Isogu sounds like 'ee, so, go' — 'so go already', someone hurrying you along.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 急ぐ

How do you pronounce 急ぐ?

I-so-gu, three light syllables, stress falling naturally on 'so' rather than the first or last sound.

Is 急ぐ formal or casual?

急ぐ 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 急ぐ written in Japanese?

急ぐ is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as isogu.

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.

"Hurry" 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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