Hisashiburi is the 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. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this phrase as it is sometimes used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain it in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain its polite version which native speakers often use in more formal situations. My explanations would help Japanese learners better understand how to say “long time no see” in Japanese. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “hisashiburi”
• What does “hisashiburi” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “long time no see” in Japanese
• Definition and meaning of “ohisashiburi desu”
  • 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 an individual phrase for ‘long time no see’ in Japanese.

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

The definition and meaning are not that difficult. To understand this phrase more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.

What does “hisashiburi” literally mean in Japanese?

“Hisashiburi” consists of 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 which refers 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.

These two components tell us that “hisashiburi” literally means ‘the first time in a long time’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is 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 meeting even after a short time period like some ten days.

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

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “hisashiburi” together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it 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 : 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 an individual phrase to mean ‘long time no see’ in Japanese. It’s also worth mentioning here that native speakers often say “genki dat ta” together to ask “how have you been?” in Japanese.

As I explained here, we can say “hisashiburi” to mean ‘long time no see’ in Japanese. In formal situations, however, we need to use the more polite version. Let me explain it in detail.

Definition and meaning of “ohisashiburi desu”

Below are the definition and meaning of the more polite version, “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’.

Again, but this is the more polite version of “hisashiburi”. Or perhaps, we can consider “hisashiburi” as the shortened version which is suitable for more casual situations. Anyway, thanks to the help of “o” and “desu”, this version sounds much more polite. Let me explain these two additional components as follows:

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

From these two additional components, we can understand that “ohisashiburi desu” is literally the more polite version of “hisashiburi”. Indeed, Japanese native speakers often use this in more formal situations. The example sentence above can be paraphrased with this polite version 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 version 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. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to make the question.

This is a typical usage of “ohisashiburi desu”. This example sentence sounds much more polite than the last one. In accordance with the change from “hisashiburi” to the 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 the definition and meaning of “hisashiburi” in detail based on its grammatical 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 an individual phrase for ‘long time no see’ in Japanese. This phrase literally means ‘the first time in a long time’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to what this phrase really means. The definition of “a long time” depends on the situation and varies from person to person, but we can use this as a Japanese greeting for the first meeting even after 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 help of “o” and “desu”, this sounds much more polite. Indeed, Japanese native speakers often use this in more formal situations.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.