楽しみ
Meaning in Englishpleasure, joy
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
楽しみ is the feeling of looking forward to something, or the pleasure expected from a future event or experience; it captures anticipation and the positive sense of enjoyment connected to what is to come.
Main meanings
- anticipation or looking forward to something, especially a future event
- pleasure or delight derived from the prospect or memory of something enjoyable
- the thing or event one is eagerly awaiting
How to use it
Used as a noun to express anticipation or pleasure; in conversation it appears in forms such as 楽しみだ, 楽しみにしている, and お楽しみに in polite speech; common contexts include planning, celebrations, media releases, and everyday events. 来週のコンサートを楽しみにしている (raishū no konsāto o tanoshimi ni shite iru); 新作映画の公開を楽しみにしている (shinsaku eiga no kōkai o tanoshimi ni shite iru); イベントをお楽しみに (ibento o otanoshimi ni)
Variants and close terms
- 期待 — きたい — anticipation
- 待ち遠しい — まちどおしい — eager, can hardly wait
- 喜び — よろこび — joy
Composition
- 楽: pleasure, ease
- し: stem connecting to the suffix -み
- み: nominalizing suffix turning the preceding element into a noun
Etymology
Native formation tanoshimi arises from the adjective 楽しい (tanoshii) with the nominalizing suffix -み, creating a noun that names the state of enjoyment or the object of anticipation.
Origin
Origin in native Japanese; formed from the stem of 楽しい plus the suffix -み, with usage attested from classical to modern language, and widely used in daily speech.
Word class
Noun (名詞)