Hima da: I'm bored, nothing to do
暇 (hima) means free time, spare time or having nothing to do. Hima da, or the drawn-out hima da nā, is the way most people casually say "I'm bored" when they have nothing going on. It is also how you ask whether someone is free: hima? or ima hima?
Because hima is about time rather than feelings, it is not always negative. Kyō wa hima da can simply mean "I'm free today". The tone and the sigh carry the boredom. In polite speech, people rarely announce they are hima to others; instead they say jikan ga arimasu, I have time, or they are free, te ga aite imasu.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 暇だなあ。 | Hima da nā. | I'm so bored. / I've got nothing to do. |
| 今、暇？ | Ima, hima? | Are you free right now? |
| 週末は暇です。 | Shūmatsu wa hima desu. | I'm free at the weekend. |
| やることがない。 | Yaru koto ga nai. | I've got nothing to do. |
| 暇つぶしにゲームしてる。 | Himatsubushi ni gēmu shiteru. | I'm playing a game to kill time. |
| 今、手が空いています。 | Ima, te ga aite imasu. | I'm free at the moment. (work) |
Taikutsu: the feeling of boredom
退屈 (taikutsu) is the general word for boredom, dullness and tedium. It works as a na-adjective, taikutsu da, "it's boring" or "I'm bored", and as a verb, taikutsu suru, "to be bored". Taikutsu shite iru describes being bored right now.
Taikutsu can describe either your state or the thing that bores you: taikutsu na kaigi is a boring meeting, and kaigi ga nagakute taikutsu shita means the meeting was long and you were bored. It sounds a little more neutral and grown-up than tsumaranai, but calling someone's talk taikutsu is still unkind.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 退屈だ。 | Taikutsu da. | I'm bored. / It's boring. |
| 雨の日は退屈です。 | Ame no hi wa taikutsu desu. | Rainy days are boring. |
| 待ち時間が長くて退屈した。 | Machijikan ga nagakute taikutsu shita. | The wait was long and I got bored. |
| 子どもが退屈している。 | Kodomo ga taikutsu shite iru. | The children are bored. |
| 退屈しのぎに本を読んだ。 | Taikutsu shinogi ni hon o yonda. | I read a book to pass the time. |
Tsumaranai: boring, and why it can sound rude
つまらない (tsumaranai), casually tsumannai, describes something as boring, dull or not worth much. It is the word you would use for a disappointing film: ano eiga, tsumaranakatta. Among friends giving an opinion, that is fine.
The risk is using it about people or effort. Calling someone's story, lesson, cooking, hobby or party tsumaranai is a direct insult, and tsumaranai hito, a boring person, is harsh. It also has a famous modest use: when giving a gift, older speakers may say tsumaranai mono desu ga, "it's only a small thing". That is humility about your own gift, and never something to say about someone else's.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| この映画、つまらない。 | Kono eiga, tsumaranai. | This film is boring. |
| 授業がつまんなかった。 | Jugyō ga tsumannakatta. | The class was boring. (casual) |
| 思ったより面白くなかった。 | Omotta yori omoshirokunakatta. | It wasn't as interesting as I expected. |
| つまらないものですが。 | Tsumaranai mono desu ga. | It's only a small thing. (when giving a gift) |
| ちょっと物足りなかった。 | Chotto monotarinakatta. | It left me wanting a bit more. |
Akita: bored of something
飽きる (akiru) means to grow tired of something after too much of it: the same game, the same lunch, the same song. You use the past form akita for how you feel now, just as with tsukareta. The thing takes ni: kono gēmu ni akita, or casually kono gēmu, mō akita.
Akippoi describes someone who gets bored of things quickly, and the negative akinai, "never tire of", is a compliment for a food or a song you could enjoy every day. Unzari, fed up, is stronger and more negative, and mō ii, "that's enough", is the casual way to say you have had your fill.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| このゲーム、もう飽きた。 | Kono gēmu, mō akita. | I'm bored of this game now. |
| 毎日カレーで飽きました。 | Mainichi karē de akimashita. | I've had enough of curry every day. |
| 私は飽きっぽいんです。 | Watashi wa akippoi n desu. | I get bored of things quickly. |
| 同じ話にうんざりしている。 | Onaji hanashi ni unzari shite iru. | I'm fed up with the same story. |
| 飽きない味ですね。 | Akinai aji desu ne. | It's a flavour you never tire of. |
Bored vs free: choosing the right word
The table below shows which word fits which situation. The main question is whether you are talking about your time, your feeling, the thing itself, or something you have had too much of.
| Word | What it describes | Example situation |
|---|---|---|
| 暇 | Free time, nothing to do | A quiet Sunday afternoon |
| 退屈 | The feeling of boredom | A long wait at the airport |
| つまらない | The thing is boring | A disappointing film |
| 飽きた | Had too much of it | The same lunch every day |
| うんざり | Fed up, sick of it | A never-ending complaint |
| 面倒くさい | Too much bother | Tidying your room |
Mendokusai, often clipped to mendoi, is not really boredom but comes up in the same conversations. It means something is a hassle and you cannot be bothered, and it is strictly casual.
Polite ways to show you're not interested
In Japanese conversation, saying something is boring is usually replaced by saying it is not for you. The focus moves from the thing to your own taste or ability, which lets the other person keep face. Kyōmi ga nai means not interested; adding amari, not very, and trailing off with -te softens it further.
If you are invited to something you do not want to do, pair the refusal with thanks, and offer an alternative if you can. Chotto... on its own, with a hesitant tone, is often understood as a polite no.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| あまり興味がなくて… | Amari kyōmi ga nakute... | I'm not really interested, so... |
| ちょっと苦手で。 | Chotto nigate de. | It's not really my thing. |
| 私にはちょっと難しかったかも。 | Watashi ni wa chotto muzukashikatta kamo. | It might have been a bit hard for me. |
| 誘ってくれてありがとう。でも、今回はやめておくね。 | Sasotte kurete arigatō. Demo, konkai wa yamete oku ne. | Thanks for asking, but I'll pass this time. |
| それより、こっちはどう？ | Sore yori, kotchi wa dō? | How about this instead? |
| 好みが分かれそうですね。 | Konomi ga wakaresō desu ne. | I guess it's a matter of taste. |
What people say back
When a friend says hima da, the natural replies suggest something to do or tease them gently. Parents in Japan, like parents everywhere, may answer a bored child with a chore. If someone says a film was tsumaranai, people either agree or defend it with their own view.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| じゃあ、何かしようか。 | Jā, nanika shiyō ka. | Well, shall we do something? |
| 暇なら手伝って。 | Hima nara tetsudatte. | If you're bored, give me a hand. |
| どこか出かけない？ | Doko ka dekakenai? | Want to go out somewhere? |
| えー、私は結構面白かったけど。 | Ē, watashi wa kekkō omoshirokatta kedo. | Really? I thought it was quite good. |
| 確かに、ちょっと長かったね。 | Tashika ni, chotto nagakatta ne. | True, it was a bit long. |
Common mistakes when saying you're bored
- Translating "I'm boring" by accident: watashi wa tsumaranai means "I am a boring person". For "I'm bored", say taikutsu da or hima da.
- Calling someone's food, talk or gift tsumaranai: it is an insult. Use softer words, or talk about your own taste.
- Using hima desu at work: it can sound lazy. Say te ga aite imasu and offer to help.
- Putting akiru in the present for how you feel now: akiru means you will get bored. Use akita for "I'm bored of it".
- Forgetting the particle with akita: the thing you are bored of takes ni, as in kono uta ni akita.
- Saying tsumaranai mono desu ga about someone else's gift: it is only for humbly describing your own.