Sabishii is the Japanese word for ‘lonely’, explained

What does “sabishii” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “sabishii” normally to mean ‘lonely’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “sabishii” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “sabishii”
  • Example #1: how to say “lonely” in Japanese
• Sabishikunai: the nai form of “sabishii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not lonely” in Japanese
• Sabishikatta: the ta form of “sabishii”
  • Example #3: how to say “was lonely” in Japanese
• Sabishikute: the te form of “sabishii”
  • Example #4: how to say “lonely and thus” in Japanese
• Sabishikereba: the ba form of “sabishii”
  • Example #5: how to say “if lonely” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “sabishii”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “sabishii”.

• sabishii – 寂しい/淋しい (さびしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘lonely’ in Japanese. This can also be translated as ‘to feel lonely’ or ‘to miss someone’ depending on the context and situation.

“Sabishii” has two different kanji expressions. Japanese native speakers use the first one when someone or something expected to be together with them is, in reality, not. They use the second one when they feel lonely and are about to cry. So, we need to pick a proper expression depending on the context and situation.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “lonely” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence.
• itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “sabishii”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. It’s worth knowing, I think.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “sabishii” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “sabishikunai”.

Sabishikunai: the nai form of “sabishii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “sabishikunai”.

• sabishikunai – 寂しくない/淋しくない (さびしくない) : the nai form of “sabishii”, which means ‘not lonely’, ‘not to feel lonely’, or ‘not to miss someone’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “sabishikunai” consists of the following two parts:

• sabishiku – 寂しく/淋しく (さびしく) : one conjugation of “sabishii”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.

From these two parts, we can understand that “sabishikunai” is literally the nai form of “sabishii” and means ‘not lonely’, ‘not to feel lonely’, or ‘not to miss someone’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not lonely” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its plural form, “boku tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• zenzen – 全然 (ぜんぜん) : an adverb widely used to emphasize the meaning of a negative phrase. In the example, this has been translated into English as “at all”.

This is a typical usage of “sabishikunai”. When we want to mean ‘not lonely’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.

Sabishikatta: the ta form of “sabishii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “sabishikatta”.

• sabishikatta – 寂しかった/淋しかった (さびしかった) : the ta form of “sabishii”, which means ‘was lonely’, ‘felt lonely’, ‘missed someone’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “sabishikatta” consists of the following two parts:

• sabishikat – 寂しかっ/淋しかっ (さびしかっ) : one conjugation of “sabishii”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• 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.

From these two parts, we can understand that “sabishikatta” is literally the ta form of “sabishii” and means ‘was lonely’, ‘felt lonely’, ‘missed someone’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was lonely” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what “kanojo” said.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
• it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu“, which means ‘to say’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : the same as used in “sabishiikatta”. In this example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.

This is a typical usage of “sabishikatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “sabishii”, this ta form is the best option.

Sabishikute: the te form of “sabishii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “sabishikute”.

• sabishikute – 寂しくて/淋しくて (さびしくて) : the te form of “sabishii”, which means ‘lonely’, ‘to feel lonely’, or ‘to miss someone’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “sabishikute” consists of the following two parts:

• sabishiku – 寂しく/淋しく (さびしく) : one conjugation of “sabishii”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “sabishikute” is literally the te form of “sabishii”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make a cause-and-effect structure in a sentence. So, “sabishikute” is very useful when we want to implement the structure into a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘lonely’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “lonely and thus” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
• naku – 泣く (なく) : a verb meaning ‘to cry’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “sabishikute”. In the example, it states the cause why the speaker cries. When we want to make a cause-and-effect structure in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘lonely’, this te form is a good option.

Sabishikereba: the ba form of “sabishii”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “sabishikereba”.

• sabishikereba – 寂しければ/淋しければ (さびしければ) : the ba form of “sabishii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘lonely’, ‘to feel lonely’, or ‘to miss someone’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “sabishikereba” consists of the following two parts:

• sabishikere – 寂しけれ/淋しけれ (さびしけれ) : one conjugation of “sabishii”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “sabishikereba” is literally the ba form of “sabishii”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “sabishikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘lonely’, ‘to feel lonely’, or ‘to miss someone’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if lonely” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “boku” to indicate the object to which the action described by “denwa wo kudasai” is directed.
• denwa – 電話 (でんわ) : a noun meaning ‘phone’ or ‘phone call’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “denwa” to make the object in the sentence.
• kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “sabishikereba”. In this example, it works as the conditional clause which means ‘if you feel lonely’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘lonely’, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “sabishii” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• sabishii – 寂しい/淋しい (さびしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘lonely’ in Japanese. This can also be translated as ‘to feel lonely’ or ‘to miss someone’ depending on the context and situation. Japanese native speakers use the first kanji expression when someone or something expected to be together with them is, in reality, not. They use the second one when they feel lonely and are about to cry.
• sabishikunai – 寂しくない/淋しくない (さびしくない) : the nai form of “sabishii”, which means ‘not lonely’, ‘not to feel lonely’, or ‘not to miss someone’ in Japanese.
• sabishikatta – 寂しかった/淋しかった (さびしかった) : the ta form of “sabishii”, which means ‘was lonely’, ‘felt lonely’, ‘missed someone’, or such in Japanese.
• sabishikute – 寂しくて/淋しくて (さびしくて) : the te form of “sabishii”, which means ‘lonely’, ‘to feel lonely’, or ‘to miss someone’ in Japanese. When we want to make a cause-and-effect structure in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘lonely’, this te form is a good option.
• sabishikereba – 寂しければ/淋しければ (さびしければ) : the ba form of “sabishii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘lonely’, ‘to feel lonely’, or ‘to miss someone’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.