喜ばしい・悦ばしい|よろこばしいyorokobashii[5]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
喜ばしい喜ばしい is the more common form and describes joyful news or events, delightful results, and pleasing sights.
悦ばしい悦ばしい is a rarely used kanji-and-kana variant that conveys a joyful or pleasing sense, so learners will seldom encounter it.
Definitions
- i-adjectivejoyful (news, event, etc.); joyous; delightful (e.g. result); pleasing (e.g. sight); gratifying; welcome; good; happy; glad; pleased
Conjugation
| Plain form | 喜ばしい（よろこばしい） |
|---|---|
| Polite (desu) | 喜ばしいです（よろこばしいです） |
| Negative (kunai) | 喜ばしくない（よろこばしくない） |
| polite (ku arimasen) | 喜ばしくありません（よろこばしくありません） |
| Past (katta) | 喜ばしかった（よろこばしかった） |
| Past negative (kunakatta) | 喜ばしくなかった（よろこばしくなかった） |
| Te form (kute) | 喜ばしくて（よろこばしくて） |
| Adverbial (ku) | 喜ばしく（よろこばしく） |
| Conditional (kereba) | 喜ばしければ（よろこばしければ） |
| kattara | 喜ばしかったら（よろこばしかったら） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym嬉しいうれしいNeutralThe everyday word for feeling glad, about one's own emotions; 「喜ばしい」 is more written in tone and describes the situation itself as worth celebrating.
- Related好ましいこのましいNeutralDescribes something as satisfactory or desirable, focusing on whether it meets expectations, as in 「好ましくない」.
- Related快いこころよいNeutralDescribes what feels pleasant or refreshing to the senses, as in 「快い風」; 「快く引き受ける」 means to readily and gladly agree.
- Related愉快ゆかいNeutralDescribes something pleasant and amusing, focusing on a fun, cheerful atmosphere, as in 「愉快な仲間」.
- Antonym悲しいかなしいNeutralSad or sorrowful; the opposite of the pleasing, celebratory sense of 「喜ばしい」.
- Antonym嘆かわしいなげかわしいWrittenLamentable, deplorable — so regrettable it makes one sigh; in written or formal prose, it is the opposite of a situation worth celebrating.
- Antonym憂鬱ゆううつNeutralGloomy and depressed, a low, heavy mood; the opposite of the joy of 「喜ばしい」.
Use 「喜ばしい」 for news or events that are themselves worthy of rejoicing, as in 「喜ばしいニュース」 or 「誠に喜ばしい」. For a personal feeling of happiness say 「嬉しい」, for something desirable 「好ましい」, for fun 「愉快」. The opposites are 「嘆かわしい」 and 「悲しい」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
