Translation guide
How to express 'sob' in Japanese, from quiet weeping to loud, uncontrollable crying.
The core meaning of 'sob': crying that involves catching your breath, often with sound.
The most direct equivalent. Describes crying while sniffling and catching your breath, often quietly but audibly.
When someone speaks with a sobbing voice, often broken by tears.
A simple, natural way to say 'say while crying/sobbing'. Use with any verb of speaking.
彼女は泣きながら「ごめんなさい」と言った。
She sobbed, 'I'm sorry.'
Referring to the sound itself, or a single instance of sobbing.
A noun meaning 'sobbing' or 'weeping'. Often used in phrases like 嗚咽をもらす (let out a sob).
すすり泣く is often quieter, more restrained sobbing, while 泣きじゃくる emphasizes the uncontrollable, gasping aspect. Use 泣きじゃくる for children or extreme distress.
彼女は静かにすすり泣いた。
She sobbed quietly.
子どもは床に座って泣きじゃくった。
The child sat on the floor sobbing uncontrollably.
泣く simply means 'to cry'. To convey the specific convulsive, audible nature of sobbing, use one of the compound verbs or phrases above.
彼女は映画の最後でずっとすすり泣いていた。
She was sobbing all through the end of the movie.
Emphasizes the convulsive, gasping nature of sobbing, often used for children or when someone is very upset.
子どもは泣きじゃくりながら母親を呼んだ。
The child sobbed, calling for his mother.
A more literary or emotional term for sobbing, often implying being choked up with tears.
彼は悲しみにむせび泣いた。
He sobbed with grief.
Describes crying loudly and openly, often with wailing sounds. 'Oioi' is onomatopoeic for the sound of sobbing.
彼はおいおい泣きながら謝った。
He sobbed loudly as he apologized.
Literally 'say with a choked voice', this captures the strained, broken quality of sobbing speech.
彼は声を詰まらせて事情を話した。
He sobbed out the story.
彼女は嗚咽をもらした。
She let out a sob.
The noun form of すすり泣く, referring to the act or sound of sobbing.
隣の部屋からすすり泣きが聞こえた。
I could hear sobbing from the next room.
General term for 'crying voice/sound'. Not specific to sobbing, but can be used when the sound is sobbing-like.
赤ちゃんの泣き声が聞こえる。
I can hear a baby sobbing.