Have you ever wondered how to tell someone to shut up in Japanese? Maybe you've heard someone in an anime say "Urusai", "Shizukani", "Damare" and "Damatte". In this article, we will see the meaning of these words and their main differences, as well as other alternatives to tell someone to be silent or quiet in Japanese.
This article is important because Japanese students need to understand that there is not only one word for "shut up", but several variations of some verbs and adjectives that express the desire and anger at the noise or chatter that is happening.
Table of Contents
What does Damare mean? Damatte? [黙る]
It is very common to hear in anime, doramas or Japanese movies someone saying damare! or damatte! sometimes accompanied by "Kudasai" [ください] which means please. Both of these words are variations of the verb "Damaru" [黙る] which literally means to stay quiet, to be silent, to not say anything.
The ideogram [黙] means silence, to be silent, to stop speaking, to leave as it is, and other related ideas. The formality of the Japanese language can be seen in the list of variations below:
- Be quiet (Damatte Kudasai) - Trying to be polite
- Damatte - A little rude
- Shut up - Very rude, just like a shut up!
- 黙りなさい (Damarinasai) - Quiet please
- Shut up (Damarasshai) - A bit polite
- Shut up (Odamarinasai) - Polite
- 黙って聞いていて (Damatte kiiteite) - Stay silent and listen!
What does Urusai [うるさい] mean?
You have probably heard the word "Urusai" [煩い] from some short-tempered character and "tsundere" in anime or manga, and got puzzled about its meaning. Although it is often translated as "shut up!", its usage and meaning are much more diversified.
"Urusai" [うるさい] is a Japanese adjective that expresses something noisy or loud. However, due to the flexibility of the Japanese language, "urusai" is often used more than the actual verb "damaru" [黙る], which means "to be silent".
When someone shouts or says [うるさい], they are referring to something annoying, boring, tiring, persistent, restless, bothersome, and other feelings of discomfort or irritation. Most of the time, the expression conveys the simple idea of "shut up" or "be quiet".
Although the translations of the words present a greater degree of offense than damare, urusai is usually more friendly depending on the way it is said. Below you can see some variations of this adjective being used as an expression to say to shut up:
- Noisy (Urusai) - Normal
- Urusee - Offensive
- Uzee - Very offensive
- Shut up (Uruseeyo) - Tokyo dialect
- Yakamashiiwa - Osaka dialect
- Jakaashiiwa - Dialect of Hiroshima
"Urusai" is not used only to tell someone to stop making noise, but it can also express irritation with sounds like dripping, noise from a neighbor, construction, and others. Moreover, "Urusai" can also show irritation towards something that does not literally make a sound, for example, a persistent person can be called "Urusai."
What does Shizukanishite [静かにして] mean?
Another very popular way to ask for silence in Japanese is by using the word "Shizukani" [静かに]. This term expresses the desire for something calm, silent, peaceful, and gentle. "Shizukani" is often used to request that someone stay quiet or still, being the most formal and polite form in the language.
Teachers often use the polite version "shizuka ni shite kudasai" [静かにして下さい] or simply "shizukanishite" [静かにして]. This expression is commonly used in classrooms to ask students to be silent in a respectful and authoritative manner.
- お静かに (Oshizuka ni) - Please, silence!
- Be quiet! - Fique quieto!
Other ways to say "Shut up" in Japanese
Are there other ways to tell someone to be quiet or "shut up" in Japanese, let's take a look at them?
Shut up, damn.
- [お前に言われる筋合いはない] omaeni iwareru sujiai ha nai
- [お前が言うな] omaegaiuna
- [聞きたくない] kikitakunai
- [聞こえない] kikoenai
The first two sentences convey the idea that you don't want the person to say anything, and the last two sentences convey the idea that you don't want to hear anything. It is sometimes used to kill or cut off some topic, gossip, criticism or complaint that you don't want to hear or similar situations.
Other Words
To conclude, I will leave some words and expressions that in certas situações can give the idea of a "shut up" or "silence".
- Shimau (仕舞う) - Finish, stop, end, and close
- 閉じ込める (Tojikomeru) - Lock, silence, imprison
- 塞ぐ (Fusagu) - To stop, close, cover, silence
- Keep quiet (Kuchi wo tsugumu) - Hold that tongue, stay silent
- Kuchi ni chakku - Close the zipper of the mouth
- Shhhh! - I don't need to comment on that...
- Sharappu (シャラップ) - From English Shut Up
- Odamarinasai - Shut up!
- 無言でいい (Mugon de ii) - It's better to remain silent!
- If you say it again, I will hit you! (Mou ikkai ittara naguru zo) -
