Japanese mini lesson: The Common Mistake with お楽しみ
Today, we are going to learn about different ways to use the word 楽しい (tanoshii)! It’s one of the most useful words for talking about fun, but it can be confusing at first because it has several meanings. Let’s take a look!
楽しい（たのしい tanoshii）： an i-adjective that means fun.
カラオケは楽しい。
Karaoke is fun.
昨日、友達と夜遅くまでゲームをして、すごく楽しかった。
Yesterday, I played video games until late, and it was so much fun.
楽しむ（たのしむ tanoshimu）：a verb that means to enjoy.
今日のパーティーではたくさん食べて話して楽しんでくださいね！
At today’s party, please eat, chat, and have fun!
楽しんでいただけたようで何よりです。
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it.
Note: While 楽しむ (tanoshimu) can technically be used to talk about yourself, when talking about your own experience, it’s more natural to use the adjective 楽しい (tasnoshii) instead.
楽しく（たのしく tanoshiku）：an adverb that means happily, or in a fun way.
息子は公園で友達と楽しく遊んでいる。
My son is happily playing with his friends in the park.
飲み会がもっと楽しくなるように、みんなでできるゲームを考えてきました。
I thought of a game everyone can play together to make the nomikai more fun.
楽しみ（たのしみ tasnoshimi）：a noun that means something to look forward to, or pleasure.
Nintendo Switch 2で遊ぶの、楽しみだね！
I’m looking forward to playing with Nintendo Switch 2!
昼休みに仲のいい同僚とランチするのが仕事での唯一の楽しみです。
Having lunch with my good colleagues during lunch break is my only pleasure at work.
Now, let’s look at expressions using 楽しみ (tanoshimi)
楽しみにしています (tanoshimi ni shite imasu) means I’m looking forward to it.
You can use it in a sentence like:
来週会えるのを楽しみにしています。
I’m looking forward to seeing you next week.
In casual conversations, you can say 楽しみにしてる (tanoshimi ni shiteru) or just 楽しみ (tanoshimi)！
In formal conversations, you can say 楽しみにしております (tanoshimi ni shite orimasu).
So, How Do We Use お楽しみ？
We don’t really say お楽しみにしています (otanoshimi ni shite imasu). お楽しみ (otanoshimi) is used differently. So, how do we use お楽しみ？
お楽しみに！（otanoshimini）means something like Please look forward to it! You can use it like:
来週、おもしろい手品を披露するのでお楽しみに！
Next week, I’ll show you a fun magic trick, stay tuned!
次回の私のpodcastにはゲストでアリアナグランデさんが来てくれます！お楽しみに！
Ariana Grande will be a guest on my next podcast episode! Stay tuned!
These are the expressions we often hear in daily life. Let’s master the difference of each word’s usage and use them in conversations with people around you!
✨See you in the next Nihongo Picnic newsletter - お楽しみに！
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