JLPT N5 Vocabulary – Difference between “うれしい” and “楽しい”
Table of Contents
1. Difference between “うれしい” and “楽しい”
2. うれしい
3. 楽しい
4. うれしい VS 楽しい
5. Let’s Compare
6. Summary
7. Quiz
8. Similar Articles
9. Comment
Q: What is the difference between “うれしい” and “楽しい”?
A: These two differ in various aspects.
うれしい (JLPT N5)
[Meaning]
① The feeling when things go as you desire
② The feeling of gratitude towards others
[Part of speech]
い adjective
[Examples]
ようやく試験に受かってうれしいです。（①）
I’m happy I finally passed the exam.
明日から夏休みだ！うれしい！（①）
I’m happy because summer vacation starts tomorrow!
友達がプレゼントをくれてうれしかったです。（②）
I was happy when my friend gave me a present.
会えてうれしいです。（②）
I’m happy to see you.
楽しい (JLPT N5)
[Meaning]
① A feeling of satisfaction, brightness, and joy
② A bright and pleasant demeanor of a person or thing
[Part of speech]
い adjective
[Examples]
友達とご飯を食べてカラオケに行って、とても楽しかった！（①）
I had a great time eating with my friends and going to karaoke!
学校はとても楽しいです。（①）
School is a lot of fun.
家族と楽しい時間を過ごしました。（①）
I had a fun time with my family.
ゆみちゃんはいつも笑顔で冗談ばかり言って楽しい人です。（②）
Yumi is always smiling and telling jokes; she’s a fun person.
うれしい VS 楽しい
This can be understood in three ways.
The first is that “ureshii” refers to a temporary emotion, while “tanoshii” refers to a continuous emotion.
[Examples]
ゆみちゃんに会えてうれしかったです。
I was happy to see Yumi.
⇒ “うれしい” is appropriate here because meeting her fulfilled my wish, which was a momentary event.
ゆみちゃんとたくさん話して楽しかったです。
I had a lot of fun talking with Yumi.
⇒ “楽しい” is appropriate here because talking with her was a continuous, fulfilling experience.
The second is that “ureshii” is triggered by external factors, while “tanoshii” is caused by internal, spontaneous factors.
[Examples]
友達がプレゼントをくれてうれしかったです。
I was happy when my friend gave me a present.
⇒ “うれしい “is fitting here because the present is an external factor, and I feel gratitude toward my friend.
この音楽を聴いていると楽しい気持ちになります。
I feel happy when I listen to this music.
⇒ “楽しい” is fitting here because the music naturally brings out bright and joyful feelings from within.
Let’s Compare
The third point can be understood by considering them together.
Which do you think is correct about the following cases?
[Examples]
①プロポーズされて楽しいです。VS プロポーズされてうれしいです。
I feel happy being proposed to. VS I am happy being proposed to.
②東京は楽しいところです。VS 東京はうれしいところです。
Tokyo is a fun place. VS Tokyo is a happy place.
The correct answers are:
①プロポーズされてうれしいです。
②東京は楽しいところです。
The difference here is that “うれしい” expresses a feeling of joy, while “楽しい” describes the nature or quality of a person or thing. Be mindful that “うれしい” cannot describe the nature or quality of a person or place.
Summary
[うれしい]
- The feeling when things go your way, or the feeling of gratitude towards someone.
- A temporary emotion of joy.
- Triggered by external factors.
[楽しい]
- ①A feeling of satisfaction and brightness, and a pleasant mood.
- ②The cheerful and pleasant nature (characteristics) of a person or thing.
- A continuous emotion.
- Used when a bright and pleasant mood naturally arises from spontaneous factors.
Quiz
Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.
Click on the question to check the answer.
A. 楽しい
先生の日本語の授業は楽しいです。
My Japanese class with the teacher is fun.
*”楽しい” is correct because it describes the nature of the lesson.
A. うれしかった
日本で初めてラーメンを食べたときはうれしかったです。
I was happy when I ate ramen for the first time in Japan.
*”うれしかった” is correct because it expresses a momentary feeling of joy from eating ramen.
A. 楽しい
渋谷で映画を見て買い物をして楽しい一日でした。
It was a fun day watching a movie and shopping in Shibuya.
*”楽しい” is correct because it describes the lasting feeling of enjoyment over the course of the day, from activities like watching a movie and shopping.
A. うれしい
夢だった富士山の頂上に来られてうれしいです。
I am happy to have reached the summit of Mt. Fuji, which was my dream.
*”うれしい” is correct because it expresses the joy of fulfilling a dream.
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