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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "new" in Japanese?
新しい
atarashii
In Japanese, "new" is 新しい (atarashii).
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Pronunciation
A-ta-ra-shii, four syllables, the long 'shii' at the end held for two beats, giving the word a bright, fresh finish.
Writing and usage
新しい 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
新しい携帯を買った。
atarashii keitai wo katsu ta.
He bought a new phone.
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How to remember 新しい
Atarashii sounds like 'a tar, a she' — she just got a fresh coat of tar, brand new pavement.
Related words
- hard 硬い katai
- smooth 滑らかな nameraka na
- rough ざらざらした zarazarashita
- loud うるさい urusai
- thick 厚い atsui
- thin 薄い usui
- fresh 新鮮 shinsen
- rotten 腐った kusatsu ta
- ripe 熟した jukushi ta
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 新しい
How do you pronounce 新しい?
A-ta-ra-shii, four syllables, the long 'shii' at the end held for two beats, giving the word a bright, fresh finish.
Is 新しい formal or casual?
新しい 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 新しい written in Japanese?
新しい is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as atarashii.
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.
"New" in other languages
Curated by Callan 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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