Team Japanese uses affiliate links. That means that if you purchase something through a link on this site, we may earn a commission (at no extra cost to you).
LIMITED TIME OFFER! Click here for FREE full access to the Japanese Absolute Beginner Course by JapanesePod101. Available for three months only!
One of the best known ways to say ‘shut up’ in Japanese is urusai / うるさい. This versatile word also has the definitions of ‘noisy’, ‘annoying’ and ‘irritating’ but we guarantee using urusai with a loud voice will get anyone to tone it down a little… or a lot!
There’s something about Japanese and describing things that are so loud that they are unpleasant. It probably comes from the fact that in Japan people do tend to enjoy silence and a quiet atmosphere.
You will notice that the word ‘noisy’ often crops up when we look at these words for ‘shut up’ in Japanese. That’s because anything loud and boisterous in Japan warrants a good old ‘shut up’ – whether it’s a person or an object!
So if you want to sound like a native speaker you’ll need to be able to tell anyone or anything to zip it. Whether it’s that construction work going on next door or someone disturbing the peace, here are some colourful ways to say ‘shut up’ in Japanese.
Table Of Contents
- Urusai
- Damare
- Shizuka ni
- O-kuchi ni chakku
- Yakamashi
- Sekarashii/Sekarashi ka (From Kyuushu)
Urusai
煩い/うるさい
Shut up, noisy, annoying, irritating, loud
Urusai /うるさい is a common way to tell someone to ‘shut up’ in Japanese and can be both rude and playful.
The cool thing about urusai is that it has a few different meanings so it can be used in many contexts.
For example, if you were trying to concentrate on doing a task and you had a friend beside you who was poking fun at you, you could say urusai yo/うるさいよ to tell them ‘shut up’ or leave you alone in a joking way.
On the other hand, urusai is also the word of choice when a teacher is fed up with a noisy classroom. In this situation, it’s much more aggressive, so if a teacher says urusai yo! to the class, they’re probably a little angry.
Urusai is not only a command for someone to shut up. It can also be a statement for a person, animal or an object that is uncomfortably loud.
That’s right, you can use urusai for absolutely anything that is so noisy it makes you feel agitated. It doesn’t have to be a person; you can say urusai to express your frustration towards a pack of dogs barking or a machine.
For example, there’s a lawnmower going off close to your bedroom window and you’re trying to get some sleep. You might find relief for your frustration by growling mou urusain da yo / もううるさいんんだよ!
Men will often use the masculine slang form uruse / うるせ, instead of urusai, which makes it sound more aggressive.
Damare
だまれ
Shut up! (Shut the hell up)
Next up we have damare / 黙れ, which is pretty rude and means shut up but can also be the equivalent to shut the **** up in some cases.
Damare comes from the verb damaru / 黙る meaning ‘to be silent’ or ‘say nothing’.
Damare is considered a bad word in Japanese. Just take note that it can also be like a swear word, so be careful how you use it.
Damare is often heard in anime and manga including with its te form as in damatte! If you want to soften damare a little, you could say damatte kudasai / 黙ってください (shut up please)、but it’s still a harsh phrase because damare is impolite.
This is a word you would use if you were in a fight with someone and you really want to insult the other person.
Shizuka ni
しずかに/静かに
Be quiet
If you want to be as polite as possible when asking someone to ‘shut up’ in Japanese, you can use shizuka ni / 静かに。Shizuka means ‘quiet’ but it’s often used with the に particle and the verb for to do, suru / する.
You just add the verb suru in it’s て form to the end of the phrase, as in shizuka ni shite / 静かにして(be quiet) or shizuka ni shite kudasai / 静かにしてください (be quiet please).
A lot of parents use shizuka ni shite with children, as do teachers with students when they want to calm them down a little. You can add ne / ね to the end to make it more casual and a little softer as in shizuka ni shite ne / 静かにしてね.
You can also make shizuka ni more aggressive. If you want to say ‘shut up’ without using damare or urusai, you can use the imperative form of suru and say shizuka ni shiro! / 静かにしろ! Be careful, it’s almost just as rude though.
O-kuchi ni chakku
おくちにチャック
Zip it (literally: Zip your lips)
A cute way of saying ‘shut up’ in Japanese is o-kuchi ni chakku which means zip your lips.
Chakku means ‘zip’ and even though o-kuchi means ‘mouth’ it’s an expression that means the lips here and is often used by parents to get children to be quiet.
Yakamashi
やかましい/喧しい
Noisy, too loud
Yakamashii is a bit of an old-fashioned word but it’s worth a mention because like the first word on our list, urusai, it can be used as an adjective to describe something that is loud, noisy and irritating.
Even though it’s less common than urusai and not used much these days, yakamashii is sometimes used to express frustration when something is unbearably loud or irritating.
You can say yakamashii to express to the person or thing how disturbing they are and that they should stop the noise, without directly saying ‘shut up’.
Yakamashii is also used in Japanese to describe someone who is fussy or picky about something.
Bonus Regional Word for Shut Up in Japanese:
Sekarashii/Sekarashi ka (From Kyuushu)
せからしい/せからしか
You are noisy
And last but not least we have sekarashii / せからしい but more colloquially sekarashi ka / せからしか, a word meaning ‘shut up’ in Kyushu dialect. It is said that sekarashii was first used in Fukuoka and Kumamoto during the Muromachi period.
Variants of sekarashii may be heard as far as Kansai down to Kyuushu.
Like urusai and yakamashii, sekarashi ka is an adjective referring to something that is so overwhelmingly noisy and annoying, it needs an exclamation.
Sekarashii can also mean ‘troublesome’ and ‘busy’ depending on the region.
How to say shut up in Japanese
So now you know 6 different ways to say shut up in Japanese. You’ll always be equipped with the right words to tell someone to zip it, whether you want to be polite… or downright rude!
Ready to take the next step in your Japanese language journey? Our recommended online course is JapanesePod101.
Related posts:
- 18 Badass Japanese Slang Words to Impress Your Friends
- How to Say Stop in Japanese
- Bad Japanese Words Your Teacher Won’t Tell You
Francesca Rex-Horoi
Francesca is a freelance copywriter and teacher, who moved to Tokyo from New Zealand at age 24. A linguistics and ESL major, she spent 3 years teaching at an all-boys high school. Now based in France, she remains a self-confessed Japanophile who loves kanji, cooking, cats and the outdoors.
FAQs
How does Naruto say shut up in Japanese? ›
Urusai うるさい
If you badly want that person to tone down or stop talking, this is the Japanese swear word to say, as it means “shut up”, literally.
Urusai /うるさい is a common way to tell someone to 'shut up' in Japanese and can be both rude and playful. The cool thing about urusai is that it has a few different meanings so it can be used in many contexts.
What does Nan Da Yo mean? ›15. "Nandayo!" = Bloody hell! 16. "Damare." = Shut up.
What does Uruse in Japanese mean? ›annoying, irritating. うるさい！ Urusai! You are annoying! / That's annoying!
Does Naruto have cursing? ›Swearing is not excessive but still present and includes words such as hell and damn.
What is baka in Naruto? ›Baka (馬鹿, ばか in hiragana, or バカ in katakana) means "fool", or (as an adjectival noun) "foolish" and is the most frequently used pejorative term in the Japanese language.
What does baka DA? ›Skanda, (Sanskrit: “Leaper” or “Attacker”)also called Karttikeya, Kumara, or Subrahmanya, Hindu god of war who was the firstborn son of Shiva.
What is Oya baka? ›The words translate directly to “parent stupid”.
What is baka da yo? ›This word is a noun, which means that in order to call someone an idiot you need to include だ (da) or です (desu) right after it. バカだよ！ baka da yo! (you're) an idiot!
What does Ara Ara mean? ›Ara ara (あら あら) is a Japanese expression that is mainly used by older females and means “My my”, “Oh dear”, or “Oh me, oh my”.
What does Yo Shi mean? ›
Interjection. よし • (yoshi) 良し, 善し, 好し, 吉し, 佳し, 宜し: all right! OK!
What does Ka Dai mean? ›"Siew-Siew-Dai" / Much Less Sweet: For those who like their regular drink to just have a hint of sweetness. "Ka-Dai” / More Sweet: For those with a sweet tooth and like their drink to be much sweeter. "Gao" / More Concentrate: A pronunciation of the Chinese dialect language Hokkien.
Is Yabai rude? ›Some say it derives from the word ayabui, meaning dangerous. Yabai began to take on a broader meaning in the 1980s as young people started using it to mean "uncool." As in the past, it still carried a negative connotation.
What does Baka Ga mean in Japanese? ›Baka is a Japanese word that means “crazy,” “foolish,” or downright “stupid.” It can also be used as a noun for “a fool” or “a crazy or stupid person.” Anime and manga fans in the West have adopted the use of baka as a (usually joking) insult.
What is Koromo in Japanese? ›Koromo, a former name of Toyota, Aichi. Japanese word for clothing.
Is it OK for a 11 year old to watch Naruto? ›This anime is really cool and great for 10+. My 13 and 16 year old love this show. There is no sexual content or talk except for one scene in 1 episode, when Naruto performs his sexy jutsu but mind you, he only does this once and eventually learns his lesson and becomes mature and never does this again.
Is Naruto ok for a 7 year old? ›From the outer appearance and storyline, Naruto doesn't seem harmful for children nor is the general storyline provides any hint of negativity in anyway. However, with different Naruto Episode there has subtle hints of sexuality.
Is Naruto a 18+ anime? ›Netflix officials have given Naruto a 16+ rating. This Japanese anime television series follows a young ninja named Naruto Uzumaki and her exploits in the Hidden Leaf Village, where she is striving for fame and aspiring to be the village's leader and strongest ninja.
What does DEKU mean in Japanese? ›Here's what “deku” means in Japanese and in the anime My Hero Academia. Deku (木偶) is a Japanese word that means “wooden figure” or “puppet” but also “blockhead”, “fool”, or... Less. AlexRockinJapanese | Japanese Study Blog.
Is baka a cow? ›baka [bá. ka.] : beef (n.); cattle (n.); cow (n.); ox (n.) cattle that are reared for their meat.
Does baka mean cow? ›
Noun. baka. a cow; an adult female of the species Bos taurus that has calved. any member of the species Bos taurus regardless of sex or age, including bulls and calves. beef; the meat from a cow, bull, or other bovine.
Is baka OK to say? ›Don't: Use “Baka” With Strangers
Even if you think you are just joking around with someone you just meant – it's probably not a wise idea. They might even react with laughter on the surface – but more likely than not, that is merely tatemae. It is extremely offensive to use this word with someone you do not know.
Oya means 'parent' - that's simple enough. The kou-kou part is the difficult one to translate, a word that doesn't exist in English. In dictionaries it's most often defined as "filial piety". It means to respect, to obey, to serve, and to make happy.
Is baka vulgar? ›The short answer: Baka (馬鹿 or ばか) is a Japanese swear or curse word meaning idiot, jackass, dumbass, or unthinking fool. (Excuse our language, please!)
What did Oya turn? ›Oya, like Juliet, took her own life because she was so saddened by Sango's disappearance or death. Her husband, Sango's favorite wife and the only one who stayed true to him until the very end, leaving Oyo behind and becoming a deity in his absence. Her name is Odo Oya, and she is the goddess of the Niger River.
What is Masaka in Japanese? ›masaka – まさか : a noun, but often used as an adverb to mean 'it can't be', 'how can it be', or 'no way' in Japanese. Native speakers often use this as an adverb to say “it can't be”, “how can it be”, or “no way” in Japanese.
What is da yo in Japanese? ›metablue Expert on Something. Postby metablue » June 3rd, 2006 5:50 pm. da is a casual form of "desu" - "to be". Like "is". yo is a particle that you put at the end of a sentence when you're telling someone something you think they don't know.
What does Kirei Dayo mean? ›you look beautiful- kirei dayo. you have beautiful eyes- kirei-na hitomidane.
What does yare yare mean in Japanese? ›Yare yare (やれ やれ) is a Japanese interjection that is mainly used by men and means “Good grief”, “Give me a break”, or “Thank…
What does ONII San mean? ›Noun. お 兄 にい さん • (onii-san) (honorific) elder brother.
What is the meaning of gambare? ›
Overview. Gambare! means “Do your best!” in Japanese and is often said as encouragement to those taking on a challenge.
What does Yoshi Yoshi mean? ›— from my understanding, you say "yoshi yoshi" to praise or comfort someone (kind of like "good job" or "there, there" e.g. to comfo…
What is Chi Chi Japanese? ›Chichi (父 / ちち) is the humble way to say father in Japanese.
What does Yoshio mean in Japanese? ›吉雄, "good luck, masculine"
What is kopi Tilok? ›Kopi base brew also known as kopi tilok (or kopi dilo), is the coffee concentrate used to achieve the various kopi variants found in most kopitiam or coffeeshops in Singapore.
What does kopi C mean? ›The kopi C category
By default, when you order a kopi, you'll end up with a coffee and condensed milk. But say kopi with C anywhere in the name, and it means you'll get evaporated milk instead of condensed milk. Fun fact: the C actually refers to Carnation, which is a brand of tinned evaporated milk.
Kopi Di Lo
"Di lo" means "pour all the way" in Hokkien. It means "extra thick coffee" with more black coffee and more milk.
Technically there aren't really swear words as such in Japanese. Instead you'll find that most swear words in Japanese, or ways to swear in Japanese, are done by using more common words or phrases and adding a couple of words or changing the way you say them.
What does Maji Manji mean? ›Meaning of マジ卍 (maji manji)
マジ卍”, which means “So cute! Awesome!”, where マジ卍 simply indicates one's excitement. Although this slang expression became popular a few years ago, appartently it has become old-fashioned already among real teen girls.
Hora – ほら – This piece of slang means “Look!” or “See?” – If this Japanese colloquial is drawn out to “Horrraaaa….” It can also mean “I told you so….”
What does Wana mean in Japanese? ›
Noun. 罠 わな • (wana) a trap, a snare. a trick, a prank.
What is giri in Japanese? ›Giri (義理) is a Japanese value roughly corresponding to "duty", "obligation", or even "burden of obligation" in English. It is defined as "to serve one's superiors with a self-sacrificing devotion" by Namiko Abe. It is also associated with the complex Japanese values that involve loyalty, gratitude, and moral debt.
What is Japanese gusto? ›Aside from Gusto, which is known as a café restaurant for those who would like to take their time enjoying their meal, there is Steak Gusto which operates on the concept of “casually enjoying your meal!” There is also the quick restaurant S Gusto for those who would like their meal to be both cheap and quick to finish.
What is Naruto's famous line in Japanese? ›Uzumaki Naruto's quotes
kono ore wa izure hokage no na o uketsuide, sendai no dono hokage o mo koete yarun da. One day I'll take over the Hokage's name and surpass all the previous Hokages! 里にオレの力を認めさせてやんだよ！ sato ni ore no chikara o mitome sasete yan da yo.
Trivia. In the Naruto series, Naruto's catchphrase was "Believe It!" in the English dub to keep a similar tone in the English version of the series. It was also used to match the lip movements from the original Japanese release. Around the start of the Chūnin Exams, however, "Believe it" fell out of use.
What is a shut in called in Japanese? ›Abstract. A form of severe social withdrawal, called hikikomori, has been frequently described in Japan and is characterized by adolescents and young adults who become recluses in their parents' homes, unable to work or go to school for months or years.
What is Sakura's line? ›The Sakura-dōri Line (桜通線, Sakura-dōri-sen) is a subway line, part of the Nagoya Municipal Subway system in Nagoya, Japan.
What is Kakashi in Japanese? ›Kakashi is a boy's name of Japanese origin. This name means "scarecrow" and indeed in Howl's Moving Castle this was the lovely moniker for the scarecrow that helps move the plot along, literally.
What is a famous Japanese saying? ›七転び八起き (nana korobi ya oki) English Translation: “Fall seven times, get up eight.” This is definitely one of the most famous Japanese proverbs. You've probably heard the English version: “If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.” It's another phrase that means “don't give up!”
How do you express crying in Japanese? ›Onomatopoeias are very helpful when you want to express crying in Japanese. Here are three very useful crying onomatopoeia words: ぎゃあぎゃあ (gyāgyā), めそめそ (mesomeso), and しくしく (shikushiku). ぎゃあぎゃあ (Gyāgyā) indicates a considerably high-pitched noisy crying or screeching.
What is Naruto's famous word? ›
10 "Believe It!" Naruto's official motto in life, "Believe it!" has been used countless times by Naruto, but this doesn't take away from its impact and importance. Sometimes in life, it's hard to find a goal you're passionate about, and it's even more difficult to commit to that goal and see it through.
Who says Dattebasa? ›Dattebayo, Dattebane and Dattebasa
(「(だ)ってばよ!」), (Da)ttebane (「(だ)ってばね」) and (Da)ttebasa (「(だ)ってばさ」) are catchphrases used by Naruto Uzumaki, his mother Kushina and his son Boruto, respectively. Naruto's catchphrase is used at the end of most of his sentences as a way of making his speech unique.
The words translate directly to “parent stupid”.
How many shut ins in Japan? ›He had shut himself off from society. Masato is not alone. The phenomenon is so acute in Japan that it has its own word — hikikomori, or the "shut-ins". The more than 1 million people who do not conform to the country's rigid social expectations are left with few options.
What is Japanese Doki? ›Doki Doki or doki-doki (Japanese: ドキドキ) is a term for the sound of a beating heart in Japanese sound symbolism.