Translation guide
How to express the state of being tired in Japanese, from physical fatigue to mental weariness.
General physical tiredness, feeling worn out from activity or lack of sleep.
The most common noun for tiredness or fatigue. Used in everyday conversation.
今日は疲れがたまっている。
I'm feeling really tired today. (lit. Tiredness has accumulated.)
疲れを感じる。
I feel tiredness.
A more formal or medical term for fatigue. Often used in written or technical contexts.
疲労が回復しない。
The fatigue doesn't go away.
Colloquial, slightly rough term for weariness. Often used by older men or in casual speech.
くたびれが出た。
I'm worn out.
Tiredness of the mind, emotional exhaustion, or feeling drained.
Also covers mental tiredness. Often combined with 心 (こころ) for emphasis.
心の疲れが取れない。
I can't shake off this mental tiredness.
A feeling of lethargy or listlessness, often used in medical or psychological contexts.
Tiredness specifically from lack of sleep, feeling sleepy.
Specific tiredness caused by hot weather, often in summer.
Summer fatigue, a common term for tiredness and loss of appetite due to summer heat.
今年は夏バテがひどい。
I have bad summer fatigue this year.
Tiredness described as a medical symptom or in formal reports.
General malaise or fatigue, often used in medical contexts.
倦怠感を訴える患者が多い。
Many patients complain of fatigue.
Subjective feeling of fatigue, similar to 倦怠感 but more directly 'sense of tiredness'.
疲れ (つかれ) is the everyday word for tiredness. 疲労 (ひろう) is more formal and often used in writing or medical reports. 倦怠感 (けんたいかん) specifically implies a lingering sense of malaise or lethargy, often with a medical nuance.
In English, 'tiredness' is the noun form of 'tired'. In Japanese, the adjective 疲れた (つかれた) is much more common than the noun 疲れ. Often, 'I'm tired' is more naturally expressed as 疲れた rather than 疲れがある.
倦怠感が続いている。
I've been feeling a sense of weariness/languor.
I'm attacked by drowsiness.
運動後に強い疲労感がある。
I have a strong feeling of fatigue after exercise.