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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "im so sorry to hear that" in Japanese?

それはお気の毒に思います

sorehao kinodoku ni omoi masu

Phrase Kanji

In Japanese, "im so sorry to hear that" is それはお気の毒に思います (sorehao kinodoku ni omoi masu).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

Say SOH-reh wah oh-KEE-noh-doh-koo nee oh-MOI mah-su, with kinodoku slowing down slightly since it carries the sympathy.

Writing and usage

それはお気の毒に思います is written using kanji. It's a phrase, 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

im so sorry to hear that

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How to remember それはお気の毒に思います

Kinodoku sounds like 'key no dokku' — picture losing your dock key, a small sad mishap worth sympathizing over.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about それはお気の毒に思います

How do you pronounce それはお気の毒に思います?

Say SOH-reh wah oh-KEE-noh-doh-koo nee oh-MOI mah-su, with kinodoku slowing down slightly since it carries the sympathy.

Is それはお気の毒に思います formal or casual?

それはお気の毒に思います is a common everyday expression. Context and tone of voice matter more than the words themselves for how formal it sounds.

How is それはお気の毒に思います written in Japanese?

それはお気の毒に思います is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as sorehao kinodoku ni omoi masu.

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.

"Im so sorry to hear that" 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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