This article will give you all of the knowledge you need on the Japanese word omoide, including its Japanese definition and translation, example sentences, related expressions and more!
Contents
What does omoide mean?
Omoide (思い出/想い出、おもいで) means a memory or recollection in Japanese. Japanese people use this word when recalling past experiences, often with some sense of nostalgia.
Below, we will take a look at how to use and write omoide.
Omoide = Memory
To make it easier for you, I have written each sentence in full Japanese kanji in the first line, followed by roman letters (romaji), and hiragana, with the English meaning coming last.
一緒に沢山の良い思い出を作くって行こう!
Isshoni takusan no ii omoide wo tsukutte ikou!
いっしょにたくさんのいいおもいでをつくっていこう!
Let’s make lots of good memories together!
ありがとう。とても楽しい思い出になった。
Arigatou. Totemo tanoshii omoide ni natta.
ありがとう。とてもたのしいおもいでになった。
Thanks. This will be a really fun memory.
飲みながら、叔父さんたちが学校時代の思い出で盛り上がってた。
Nominagara, ojisantachi ga gakkou jidai no omoide de moriagatteta.
のみながら、おじさんたちががっこうじだいのおもいででもりあがった。
The older gents drank merrily as they reminisced about their school days.
この旅行は僕にとって一生の思い出です。
Kono ryokou wa boku ni totte isshou no omoide desu.
このりょこうはぼくにとっていっしょうのおもいでです。
This trip will be a lifelong memory for me.
私にとって、お母さんの思い出は貴重なものだ。
Watashi ni totte, okaasan no omoide wa kichou na mono.
わたしにとって、おかあさんのおもいではきちょうなものだ。
My memories of my mother are precious to me.
Which kanji should you use for omoide?
As it turns out, you can write omoide in two different ways: either as 思い出 or 想い出. I honestly had to look up the difference myself, as I have almost always used (and seen) the former!
The former, 思い出, is the most common way to write omoide, and I would suggest you stick to using this one. Indeed, 思 is a joyou (standard) kanji whereas 想 is not. The implication of this is that 想 isn’t often used in official materials.
When does 想い出 actually make an appearance then? You will tend to see it in literature or song lyrics. This is because it expresses a stronger emotion than 思い出. It can also stand for something of greater importance.
友達と学生時代の思い出を話すと笑顔になる。
Tomodachi to gakusei jidai no omoide wo hanasu to egao ni naru.
ともだちとがくせいじだいのおもいでをはなすとえがおになる。
Talking with friends about our memories of school makes me smile.
懐かしい想い出の写真
Natsukashii omoide no shashin.
なつかしいおもいでのしゃしん
A photo evoking nostalgic memories
I hope this clears up the (admittedly subtle) difference between the two ways of writing omoide. This is another area where native speakers are not always sure about, so don’t worry too much about remembering the distinction. Just knowing that it exists should suffice for your journey on the road to Japanese fluency!
Kioku: A different kind of memory
Kioku (記憶) also means memory, but in the sense of remembering facts, events, or experiences. Unlike omoide, kioku does not have any emotional significance.
彼は記憶が悪い。
Kare wa kioku ga warui.
かれはきおくがわるい。
He has a bad memory.
そんなことは特に記憶にない。
Sonna koto wa toku ni kioku ni nai.
そんなことは とくにきおくにない。
I don’t have any particular memory of anything like that.
Rohan's favorite resource for learning Japanese is JapanesePod101, one of the best tools for getting started with the language. Sign up for a free lifetime account here.
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