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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "lonely" in Japanese?
孤独だ
kodoku da
In Japanese, "lonely" is 孤独だ (kodoku da).
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Pronunciation
Pronounce ko-DOH-koo-da, the second syllable carries a long vowel so hold it a beat longer than the others.
Writing and usage
孤独だ is written using kanji. It's a adjective, 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
新しい街で孤独を感じていた。
atarashii machi de kodoku wo kanji teita.
She felt lonely in the new city.
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How to remember 孤独だ
Kodoku echoes 'code lock', picture yourself locked behind a code alone in an empty room, feeling utterly lonely.
Related words
- jealous 嫉妬深い shittobukai
- proud 誇らしい hokorashii
- ashamed 恥ずかしい hazukashii
- embarrassed 恥ずかしい hazukashii
- confused 混乱している konran shiteiru
- curious 好奇心旺盛な koukishin'ousei na
- bored 退屈だ taikutsu da
- grateful 感謝している kanshashi teiru
- generous 寛大だ kandai da
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 孤独だ
How do you pronounce 孤独だ?
Pronounce ko-DOH-koo-da, the second syllable carries a long vowel so hold it a beat longer than the others.
Is 孤独だ formal or casual?
孤独だ 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 孤独だ written in Japanese?
孤独だ is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as kodoku da.
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.
"Lonely" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
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