Translation guide
How to express the idea of looking after your own well-being, health, or needs in Japanese.
Expressing the broad concept of taking care of one's own physical or mental well-being.
A natural, warm way to say you take care of yourself, emphasizing valuing yourself.
もっと自分のことを大切にしなきゃね。
I need to take better care of myself.
Similar to 大切にする, but slightly more casual. Often used in advice.
自分を大事にしないと、他人も大事にできないよ。
If you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of others.
A loanword from English, used in modern contexts like wellness or mental health discussions.
週末はセルフケアの時間にしている。
I make time for self-care on weekends.
Taking care of practical matters, handling things by oneself without relying on others.
The most common way to say you handle your own matters independently.
子供の頃から、自分のことは自分でするように言われてきた。
Since I was a child, I've been told to take care of my own things.
Refers specifically to taking care of daily personal tasks like grooming, cleaning, etc.
入院中は身の回りのことを看護師さんに手伝ってもらった。
While hospitalized, I had nurses help me with taking care of myself.
Means to become independent or self-reliant, often used in broader life contexts.
大学生になったら、経済的に自立したい。
When I become a university student, I want to be financially independent.
Specifically focusing on physical health maintenance.
The standard way to say you take care of your health.
最近、健康に気をつけるようになった。
Lately, I've started taking care of my health.
More formal, often used in work contexts about managing one's physical condition.
プロの選手は体調管理が大切だ。
For professional athletes, taking care of their physical condition is crucial.
A traditional term for taking care of one's health through rest, diet, etc., often used when recovering.
しばらく養生してください。
Please take care of yourself for a while (to recover).
Focusing on mental well-being, avoiding stress, or being kind to oneself.
Common modern phrase for mental self-care.
ストレスがたまったら、心のケアが必要だ。
When stress builds up, you need to take care of your mental health.
Often used in the context of being kind to oneself, not blaming oneself.
失敗しても自分を責めないで。
Even if you fail, don't be hard on yourself.
Directly means 'be kind to oneself', a natural way to express emotional self-care.
たまには自分に優しくしよう。
Let's be kind to ourselves once in a while.
The phrase 'taking care of oneself' cannot be directly translated word-for-word into Japanese. Avoid literal translations like '自分の世話をする' (which means physically caring for someone else, like a nurse). Use context-appropriate phrases instead.
Both mean 'take good care of oneself', but 大切にする sounds slightly more formal and emotional, while 大事にする is more casual and commonly used in everyday speech.