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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "pessimistic" in Japanese?
悲観的
hikanteki
In Japanese, "pessimistic" is 悲観的 (hikanteki).
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Pronunciation
Pronounce hee-KAHN-teh-kee, hikan mirrors rakukanteki's rhythm but starts with a sharper hi sound instead of a soft ra.
Writing and usage
悲観的 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
天気に対して悲観的な気持ちだった。
tenki ni taishi te hikanteki na kimochi datta.
She felt pessimistic about the weather.
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How to remember 悲観的
Hikanteki starts like 'he can't', picture a pessimist muttering 'he can't do it' before anyone even tries.
Related words
- excited 興奮している koufun shiteiru
- thrilled とても興奮している totemo koufun shiteiru
- terrified 恐怖でいっぱいだ kyoufu deippaida
- shocked ショックを受けている shokku wo uke teiru
- disgusted 嫌悪感を抱いている ken'okan wo dai teiru
- sympathetic 共感的 kyoukan teki
- empathetic 共感的 kyoukan teki
- optimistic 楽観的だ rakukanteki da
- guilty 罪悪感がある zaiakukan gaaru
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 悲観的
How do you pronounce 悲観的?
Pronounce hee-KAHN-teh-kee, hikan mirrors rakukanteki's rhythm but starts with a sharper hi sound instead of a soft ra.
Is 悲観的 formal or casual?
悲観的 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 悲観的 written in Japanese?
悲観的 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as hikanteki.
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.
"Pessimistic" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
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