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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "its been a while" in Japanese?

久しぶりです

hisashi buridesu

Phrase Kanji

In Japanese, "its been a while" is 久しぶりです (hisashi buridesu).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

Say hee-sah-shee-boo-REE-des, letting the middle 'buri' land with slight emphasis like a small drumbeat.

Writing and usage

久しぶりです 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

its been a while

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How to remember 久しぶりです

Hisashiburi has 'burr' in it — imagine shivering with nostalgia at seeing an old friend after a long, cold absence.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 久しぶりです

How do you pronounce 久しぶりです?

Say hee-sah-shee-boo-REE-des, letting the middle 'buri' land with slight emphasis like a small drumbeat.

Is 久しぶりです formal or casual?

久しぶりです is a common everyday expression. Context and tone of voice matter more than the words themselves for how formal it sounds.

How is 久しぶりです written in Japanese?

久しぶりです is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as hisashi buridesu.

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.

"Its been a while" 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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