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Japanese · The Basics

うるさい

urusai

oo-roo-SIGH · /ɯɾɯsai/

Shut up / you're too loud / quit nagging

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"noisy / loud"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

Literally "noisy," but thrown at a person it means "shut up." The first rung of a clear escalation ladder: urusai (annoyed) → ussee/usse (rougher, clipped, male) → damare (a hard command to shut it). Kids yell it at parents, couples snap it mid-argument. Add na — "urusai na" — and it's more of an exasperated "ugh, enough."

Heard in the wild

うるさい!今集中してんの。

Shut up! I'm trying to focus.

Where it lands

Nationwide

Quick answers

What does "うるさい" mean?
In Japanese, "うるさい" means "Shut up / you're too loud / quit nagging". Literally it's "noisy / loud". Literally "noisy," but thrown at a person it means "shut up." The first rung of a clear escalation ladder: urusai (annoyed) → ussee/usse (rougher, clipped, male) → damare (a hard command to shut it). Kids yell it at parents, couples snap it mid-argument. Add na — "urusai na" — and it's more of an exasperated "ugh, enough."
Is "うるさい" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
How do you pronounce "うるさい"?
Say it "oo-roo-SIGH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ɯɾɯsai.

Related in Japanese

くそ kuso KOO-so Damn! / Crap! / Shit! うざい uzai oo-ZYE Annoying / a pain in the ass 最低 saitei sigh-TAY The worst / despicable / how low クソ食らえ kuso kurae KOO-so koo-RAH-eh Eat shit / to hell with it 何だよ nanda yo NAHN-dah yo What the hell / what's your problem 面倒くさい mendōkusai men-DOH-koo-sigh What a pain / can't be bothered / such a hassle

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Shut up".

how to say "Shut up" →

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