Hisashiburi: a Japanese phrase for ‘long time no see’, explained

What does “hisashiburi” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “hisashiburi” to mean ‘long time no see’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this phrase as it is often used in Japanese movies, manga, anime, songs, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain it in detail based on its components. And also, I will explain its polite version which native speakers often use in formal situations. My explanations would help Japanese learners to say “long time no see” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “hisashiburi”
• Breakdown of “hisashiburi”
  • Example #1: how to say “long time no see” in Japanese
• Ohisashiburi desu: a Japanese polite phrase for ‘long time no see’
  • Example #2: how to use “ohisashiburi desu”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “hisashiburi”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “hisashiburi”.

• hisashiburi – 久し振り (ひさしぶり) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “hisashiburina”, but quite often used as a phrase for ‘long time no see’ in Japanese.

From the grammatical point of view, this is one conjugation of the na-adjective, “hisashiburina”, which is used to describe a long time since something has happened. In reality, however, native speakers often use this as just a phrase to say “long time no see” in Japanese.

The definition and meaning are not that difficult, but let me explain this phrase in detail based on its components.

Breakdown of “hisashiburi”

“Hisashiburi” can be broken down into the following two components:

• hisashi – 久し (ひさし) : a word derived from the i-adjective, “hisashii”, which means ‘long (in time)’ in Japanese.
• buri – 振り (ぶり) : a suffix used after a word referring to a certain period of time to indicate the interval between two events. This is often translated into English as “since”, “the first time (in a certain period of time)”, or such.

From these two components, we can understand that “hisashiburi” means ‘the first time in a long time’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation seems to be very close to what the phrase really means. The definition of “a long time” depends on the situation and varies from person to person, but we can use this phrase as a Japanese greeting for the first time meeting even in a short time period like some ten days.

When we meet new phrases, we should check their components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about meanings of phrases they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “hisashiburi” through the detailed check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “hisashiburi” through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “long time no see” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• genki – 元気 (げんき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “genkina”, which means ‘healthy’ or ‘well (in health)’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• dat – だっ (だっ) : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “da“, which is used to make a simple declarative sentence. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “dat” to make its past tense form “dat ta”.

This is a typical usage of “hisashiburi”. In this example, it works as a phrase to say “long time no see” in Japanese. It’s also worth mentioning that native speakers often say “genki dat ta” after the phrase to ask “how have you been?” in Japanese.

As I explained here, we can say “hisashiburi” to say “long time no see” in Japanese. In formal situations, however, we need to use a more polite expression. Let me explain it in the following paragraphs.

Ohisashiburi desu: a Japanese polite phrase for ‘long time no see’

Below are the definition and meaning of the polite expression, “ohisashiburi desu”.

• ohisashiburi desu – お久しぶりです (おひさしぶりです) : a Japanese polite phrase for ‘long time no see’.

This is the polite expression of “hisashiburi”. Or perhaps, we can consider “hisashiburi” as its shortened version suitable for more casual situations. Thanks to the roles of “o” and “desu”, this expression sounds much more polite. Let me explain these two additional parts as follows:

• o – お : a prefix used to make its following word polite.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or adverb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the expression, this is used after the “ohisashiburi” to make it sound polite.

From these two additional parts, we can understand that “ohisashiburi desu” is literally the polite expression of “hisashiburi”. Japanese native speakers tend to use it in formal situations. The example sentence above can be paraphrased with it as follows.

Example #2: how to use “ohisashiburi desu”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ogenki – お元気 (おげんき) : the polite expression of “genki” explained in the last example. Due to the role of “o”, this sounds more polite.
• deshi – でし : one conjugation of “desu” explained above. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question in Japanese. This is often used with the pitch raised. As the grammatical definition suggests, this works at the end of the example sentence to make the question.

This is a typical usage of “ohisashiburi desu”. This example sentence sounds more polite than the last one. In accordance with the change from “hisashiburi” to its polite version, “genki dat ta” has also been changed to its polite version, “ogenki deshi ta ka”.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “hisashiburi” in detail based on its components. And also, I’ve explained its polite version with the example sentence. Let me summarize them as follows.

• hisashiburi – 久し振り (ひさしぶり) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “hisashiburina”, but quite often used as a phrase for ‘long time no see’ in Japanese. This literally means ‘the first time in a long time’ in Japanese. The definition of “a long time” depends on the situation and varies from person to person, but we can use this phrase as a Japanese greeting for the first time meeting even in a short time period like some ten days.
• ohisashiburi desu – お久しぶりです (おひさしぶりです) : a Japanese polite phrase for ‘long time no see’. Thanks to the role of “o” and “desu”, this sounds more polite. Native speakers tend to use this in formal situations.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.