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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "tall" in Japanese?
背の高い
Sen no takai
In Japanese, "tall" is 背の高い (Sen no takai).
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Pronunciation
背の高い is written using kanji. Romanised as Sen no takai, it sounds roughly like "seh-n-noh-tah-kah-ee" to an English ear.
Writing and usage
Se no takai (背の高い) is the standard phrase for a tall person, literally meaning whose back is tall. For buildings or objects, use takai directly without se no.
Example sentence
彼はとても背が高いです。
Kare wa totemo se ga takai desu.
He is very tall.
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How to remember 背の高い
Se means back or height of a person. Picture someone stretching their back upward as tall as possible.
Related words
- seven 七 nana
- sick 病気の byouki no
- windy 風が強い kazegatsuyoi
- thirty-nine 三十九 sanjūkyū
- rain 雨 ame
- seventy-five 七十五 nanajūgo
- blue 青 ao
- snowstorm 吹雪 fubuki
- five 五 go
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 背の高い
How do you pronounce 背の高い?
背の高い is romanised as Sen no takai. Say it roughly like "seh-n-noh-tah-kah-ee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.
Is 背の高い formal or casual?
背の高い 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 背の高い written in Japanese?
背の高い is written using kanji. Se no takai (背の高い) is the standard phrase for a tall person, literally meaning whose back is tall.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
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"Tall" in other languages
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