How do you say "slow" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "slow" is 遅い (Osoi). It is a adjective pronounced "oh-soh-ee".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

遅い is written in kanji and hiragana. Romanised as Osoi, it sounds roughly like "oh-soh-ee" to an English ear.

Example sentence

このパソコンはとても遅いです。

Kono pasokon wa totemo osoi desu.

This computer is very slow.

Usage notes

Osoi (遅い) is an i-adjective meaning slow or late. It describes speed as well as lateness. Osoi! is also used informally to tell someone they are taking too long.

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Questions about 遅い

How do you pronounce 遅い?

遅い is romanised as Osoi. Say it roughly like "oh-soh-ee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 遅い formal or casual?

遅い is an i-adjective. The form shown is the plain form, which works in casual speech. To make it polite, add desu at the end of the sentence. The word itself does not change.

How is 遅い written in Japanese?

遅い is written using kanji and hiragana. Kanji characters carry the core meaning; any hiragana or katakana that follow show grammatical endings.

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.