How do you say "wait" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "wait" is 待つ (matsu). It is a verb pronounced "mah-tsoo".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

待つ is written in kanji and hiragana. Romanised as matsu, it sounds roughly like "mah-tsoo" to an English ear.

Example sentence

子供たちは待ちますのが楽しそうです。

Kodomotachi wa machimasu no ga tanoshisou desu.

The children seem to enjoy waiting.

Usage notes

待つ means to wait in Japanese. This is an everyday verb that learners encounter early. Mastering its masu form (待ちます) and te-form opens up many sentence patterns.

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Questions about 待つ

How do you pronounce 待つ?

待つ is romanised as matsu. Say it roughly like "mah-tsoo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 待つ formal or casual?

待つ is the plain (dictionary) form, used in casual speech and in dictionaries. For polite situations, verbs take a different ending, typically -masu. In Noun Town the game always shows the dictionary form.

How is 待つ written in Japanese?

待つ 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.