The road to flattery: Best Japanese compliments and responses to win anyone’s heart over：Compliments are a good way to not only build rapport with other people, but it’s also a good way to make friends! Technically it’s not sucking up to someone. It’s just being nice… right? Well, we have put together a short guide on what to say when you want to compliment someone and even how to reply to them!
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The road to flattery: Best Japanese compliments and responses to win anyone’s heart over
(Disclaimer: We are not responsible for any failed attempts forming friendships.)
Compliments: Do I really need to?
In Japanese, to give someone praise or to give someone a compliment is “ほめる” or in romaji, homeru. When people think about the idea of giving someone a compliment, they usually think it’s for romantic purposes, but honestly, it’s not! Everyone likes the feeling of being praised or being complimented and to be honest, making someone’s day better by making them feel good about themselves feels amazing as well. Complimenting someone isn’t necessary to build relationships but it really does help. It’s like having a cheat code to a game (rosebud, anyone?) or a boost in experience but in this case, its gaining rapport with people. This transcends cultures and languages! Complimenting people is an international thing and for someone who wants to make friends, ESPECIALLY when you are in a foreign land, it’s a great way to start. To answer my own question above.. You don’t need to give compliments to people, but it won’t hurt to either!
Homemashou! Let’s do this.
Looks? Let’s talk about it
Praising someone’s looks can always brighten someone’s day, no matter how small it is.
| English | Romaji | Japanese |
| You are ____. | Anata wa ______ desu. | あなたは＿＿＿＿です。 |
| (very casual)You are ____. | __________ da ne. | ＿＿＿＿＿だね。 |
| Your ____ is/are ____. | Anata no___ ga/wa ___. | あなたの＿＿が・は＿＿＿。 |
Samples:
あなたはかわいいです。
Anata wa kawaii desu.
You are cute.
カッコイイね。
Hansamu ne.
You are handsome.
あなたの目はきれい。
Anata no me wa kirei.
Your eyes are pretty.
Here are a few adjectives you can use to fill in the blanks!
| English | Japanese | English | Japanese |
| Beautiful | 美しい (utukushii) | Elegant | オシャレ(oshare) |
| Handsome/Cool | カッコイイ (kakkoii) | Muscular | ムキムキ (muki muki) |
Personality is a good one
Complimenting someone on their good personality traits makes people feel some kind of way that hits deep and it also has a more genuine ring to it.
| English | Romaji | Japanese |
| You are ____. | Anata wa ______ desu. | あなたは＿＿＿＿です。 |
| (very casual)You are ____. | __________ ne. | ＿＿＿＿＿ね。 |
Samples:
あなたはかわいいです。
Anata wa omoshiroiidesu.
You are funny/interesting.
優しいね。
Yasashii ne
You are kind.
***頭がいいね。
Atama ga ii ne.
You are smart!
***センスがいいね。
Sensu ga ii ne.
You have good taste
Here are a few adjectives you can use to fill in the blanks!
| English | Japanese | English | Japanese |
| Energetic | 元気 (genki) | Hard-working | 真面目 (majime) |
| Honest | 素(sunao) | Bright/positive | 明るい (akarui) |
Telling someone that they look good doing or wearing something
This can be used for something someone is wearing or maybe even doing!
| English | Romaji | Japanese |
| That_______looks great on you/suits you. | Sono_____, ni atteru. | その＿＿＿、似合ってる。 |
Sample:
そのシャツ、似合ってる。
Sono shatsu ni atteru.
That shirt looks great on you/suits you.
仕事、似合ってる。
Shigoto ni atteru.
Your job suits you.
にあいます。
Ni aimasu.
It suits you.
Appreciating someone’s work by complimenting them on it
This is a great way to inspire people to work harder or continue working hard! Ideal for when you are at work, or have seen a result of someone’s time.
| English | Romaji | Japanese |
| Great job! | Yoku yatta! | よくやった！ |
| You are good at what you are doing. | Jyouzu da ne. | 上手だね。 |
| You are fluent! (languages) | Pera pera! | ペラペラ！ |
| Thank you for your hard work. | Otsukaresamadesu. | お疲れ様です。 |
The other end of the stick: Responding to compliments
A compliment’s purpose is to make someone feel good so in turn, saying a bit of thanks will not only make you seem more approachable, but will make the person feel almost as good as you! There are many ways to reciprocate receiving a compliment but always say thank you and maybe a little bow as well!
Being (or pretending to be) humble
After denying the compliment, don’t forget to say thank you!
そんなことないです。
Sonna koto nai desu.
That’s not true.
Complimenting them back
This has the connotation of “you too!” in English, so make sure that this reply is correct!
あ！あなた・（名前）こそ！
A! Anata/(name of person) koso!
Ah! You too!
Or
＿＿＿＿も＿＿＿＿です。
__mo___desu. (name of person) are as well.
Ex: 雪さんも優しいです。(Yuki san mo yasashii desu)
Yuki is also kind.
Expressing your joy in receiving the honor of being flattered
Express yourself by saying how you feel about it!
うれしいです。
Ureshii desu.
I’m happy. (has the connotation of “that made me happy”)
Thanking them
Don't forget to bow after!
ほめてくれました、ありがとうございます。
homete kuremashita, arigatou gozaimasu.
I received praise. Thank you very much
(Technically means “Thank you for the compliment”)