How to say 'Wasteful' in Japanese | もったいない

Wondering how to say 'Wasteful' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Wasteful is 'Mottainai', written as もったいない in Japanese.

word

もったいない

Meaning

Wasteful

Reading

Mottainai

Explanation

The Japanese adjective 'もったいない (mottainai)' conveys a sense of regret over wastefulness or the underutilization of something valuable. It is often used to express that something is too good to be wasted or that it is a shame to discard something that still has value. This term is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, emphasizing the importance of resourcefulness and respect for objects and resources. For example: It's wasteful to throw away food「食べ物を捨てるのはもったいない」(たべものをすてるのはもったいない). This shirt is too nice to throw away「このシャツは捨てるにはもったいない」(このシャツはすてるにはもったいない). The concept of 'もったいない' extends beyond physical objects, sometimes used to express a sense of regret over missed opportunities or the underappreciation of someone's talents.

Part Of Speech

adjective

Frequency

6740

Composition

hiragana

Handwriting

This word is an i-adjective. To learn how it transforms in different tenses and forms, explore all its conjugations.

Hiragana in the Word もったいない

This word contains 5 Hiragana characters :

hiragana

も

Reading

hiragana

た

Reading

hiragana

い

Reading

hiragana

な

Reading

hiragana

つ

Reading

Tsu

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What does 'Mottainai' (もったいない) mean?

'Mottainai' means 'Wasteful' .

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