How do you say "quiet" in Japanese?

静かな

Shizuka na

Adjective Kanji

In Japanese, "quiet" is 静かな (Shizuka na).

Listen to the pronunciation:

Free Japanese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games

Pronunciation

静かな is written using kanji. Romanised as Shizuka na, it sounds roughly like "shee-zoo-kah-nah" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Shizuka na (静かな) is a na-adjective for quiet or peaceful atmospheres. Its opposite is urusai (noisy), and shizuka ni shite means 'please be quiet.

Example sentence

この図書館はとても静かです。

Kono toshokan wa totemo shizuka desu.

This library is very quiet.

Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember 静かな

The kanji 静 uses a radical for sound with something stilling it. Picture sound waves being absorbed into silence.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese adjectives.

Questions about 静かな

How do you pronounce 静かな?

静かな is romanised as Shizuka na. Say it roughly like "shee-zoo-kah-nah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 静かな formal or casual?

静かな 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 静かな written in Japanese?

静かな is written using kanji. Shizuka na (静かな) is a na-adjective for quiet or peaceful atmospheres.

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.

"Quiet" 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.

Noun Town language-learning game on PC, Mac and VR

The full experience

Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR

These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.

See the full game ▶

Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town