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N5Lesson notes · Oct 3, 2026

Long Time No See in Japanese: 久ひさしぶり and the three endings that change who you can say it to

"Long time no see" in Japanese is 久ひさしぶり (hisashiburi) with friends, お久ひさしぶりです with people you should be polite to, and ご無沙汰ぶさたしております in business — same idea, three very different people you can say it to.

Most learners stumble in the same place. They find one translation, say it to everyone, and then wonder why a coworker looked slightly startled or a friend laughed at how stiff it sounded. The word is easy. Choosing the ending is the real skill, and it takes about ten minutes to get right.

The basics

What is "long time no see" in Japanese?

The everyday answer is 久ひさしぶり. It is short, warm, and works for friends, classmates, and family you have not seen in a while. Add です and an お at the front and you get お久ひさしぶりです, which is the safe polite version.

久ひさしぶり! — Long time no see! (casual, to a friend) お久ひさしぶりです。 — It's been a while. (polite, to a teacher or someone older)

The word comes from 久ひさしい (hisashii), an old adjective meaning "long-lasting" or "for a long time," plus ぶり, a suffix meaning "after a gap of." So 久ひさしぶり literally means "after a long gap." That is why it is not a word-by-word copy of the English: Japanese never says "see" at all. The meeting is understood from context.

How do you make it friendlier or more polite?

You change the ending, not the core word. Think of it as a small ladder:

  • 久ひさしぶり — bare, casual, close friends
  • 久ひさしぶりだね — casual with a soft ね, sounds warmer and more spoken
  • お久ひさしぶりです — standard polite
  • ご無沙汰ぶさたしております — business and very formal

久ひさしぶりだね。元気げんきだった? — Long time no see. How have you been? (casual, warm, with a follow-up question) お久ひさしぶりです。お元気げんきでしたか。 — It's been a while. How have you been? (polite, both parts raised a level)

A good rule: if you would use です and ます with this person, use お久ひさしぶりです. If you are writing an email to a client or a former boss, move up to ご無沙汰ぶさたしております.

What does ご無沙汰ぶさたしております mean?

It is the business-level version, and it carries a slightly different feeling. 無沙汰ぶさた (busata) means "silence" or "being out of touch." ご無沙汰ぶさたしております literally says "I have been out of touch with you," so it contains a small apology for not contacting the person sooner. That apologetic tone is exactly why it sounds respectful.

ご無沙汰ぶさたしております。その節せつはお世話せわになりました。 — It has been a long time since I contacted you. Thank you for your help back then. (business, to a former colleague or client)

The standard reply mirrors it: こちらこそご無沙汰ぶさたしております — "I'm the one who has been out of touch." Neither side takes the blame; both politely claim it. You will see this exchange at the start of countless business emails.

How long counts as 久ひさしぶり?

Weeks, not days. As a rough feeling, 久ひさしぶり starts around the point when you would think "it's been a while" — a few weeks, a few months, a few years. Seeing someone you meet every weekday would never get 久ひさしぶり.

The one exception is a joke. If a friend you saw yesterday walks in and you say 久ひさしぶり!, it reads as playful exaggeration — a way to tease them for being late or to act dramatic. The humor only works because everyone knows it has not been long.

昨日きのう会あったばかりなのに、久ひさしぶり! — We just met yesterday, but long time no see! (casual, a joke)

Beyond the basics

What is 久々ひさびさに, and why does it take に?

久々ひさびさ is a shorter, more casual form of 久ひさしぶり. 久々ひさびさに is an adverb meaning "for the first time in a while," and it describes an action rather than greeting someone. 久ひさしぶりに means the same thing and is slightly more neutral.

久々ひさびさに友ともだちに会あった。 — I met my friend for the first time in a while. (casual) 久ひさしぶりに寿司すしを食たべました。 — I ate sushi for the first time in a long time. (polite, past tense)

The に is the same に that marks how something happens, as in 急きゅうに (suddenly) or 特とくに (especially). Without it, 久ひさしぶり works as a noun — a greeting — but with it, the phrase attaches to a verb. So 久ひさしぶり alone is "long time no see," and 久ひさしぶりに+verb is "I did this after a long gap."

How do you say "it's been a while since I did X"?

Use the pattern 〜のは久ひさしぶりです. The の turns a verb into a noun phrase, and 久ひさしぶりです says how long ago it was.

日本語にほんごを話はなすのは久ひさしぶりです。 — It's been a while since I spoke Japanese. (polite) 運動うんどうするのは久ひさしぶりだ。 — It's been a while since I exercised. (casual)

This is a very handy sentence for learners returning to the language after a break. It also works as a softener: saying it before you speak tells the listener to be patient.

What do you say after 久ひさしぶり?

The greeting almost never stands alone. The next line is usually a check-in. There are three you will hear constantly:

元気げんきだった? — How have you been? (casual, past tense because it asks about the gap) 変かわりない? — Anything new? / Everything the same? (casual, usually with a smile) 全然ぜんぜん変かわってないね。 — You haven't changed at all. (casual, a warm compliment)

Notice that 元気げんきだった? uses the past tense, not 元気げんき?. The past tense points back across the whole stretch of time you did not see each other. If you want more ways to ask this, see how to ask "how are you" in Japanese.

How do anime characters say it?

In anime you hear the full range, and it is useful because voice acting exaggerates the register. A cheerful hero meeting a friend might say something like よう、久ひさしぶり! — "Hey, long time no see!" — with よう acting as a casual attention-grabber. A reunion scene can follow it with ずっと会あいたかった (I've wanted to see you all this time), and miss you in Japanese explains why the past form is what people say the moment they meet again.

A rival or a stoic character often drops the warmth and uses something sharper, like 久ひさしぶりだな with a flat だな ending. That だな is the masculine, blunt cousin of だね.

Then there is the villain-or-old-warrior line, 久ひさしいな ("it has been a long time"). It uses the old adjective 久ひさしい directly and sounds archaic and dramatic. It is not something you say to a coworker, but you will recognize it instantly when a calm, dangerous character shows up after years away. These are generic patterns, not lines from any specific show, so treat them as flavor rather than a model for your own speech.

Common mistakes

  • Saying 久ひさしぶり to someone you saw yesterday, seriously. It only works as a joke. If you mean it sincerely after a short gap, use こんにちは or just the greeting for the time of day. Fix: save 久ひさしぶり for real gaps of weeks or more.
  • Using ご無沙汰ぶさたしております with a friend. It sounds like an email to a former client, which is funny out loud. Fix: 久ひさしぶり or 久ひさしぶりだね for friends; keep ご無沙汰ぶさた for business.
  • Translating word-by-word. Something like 長ながい時間じかん会あわなかった is understandable but sounds like a textbook. Fix: just say 久ひさしぶり. The meaning is already in the word.
  • Dropping the お with a teacher. Plain 久ひさしぶりです is not wrong, but お久ひさしぶりです sounds noticeably more respectful. Fix: add お when the person is older or senior to you.
  • Asking 元気げんき? instead of 元気げんきだった? after a long gap. Both work, but 元気げんきだった? asks about the whole period, which is what 久ひさしぶり just opened. Fix: match the tense to the gap.

For how to decide when to switch between these styles in real life, see keigo vs casual Japanese: when to switch.

Which phrase fits which person?

Phrase Politeness Say it to Typical reply
久ひさしぶり Casual Close friends, family, classmates 久ひさしぶり!元気げんきだった?
久ひさしぶりだね Casual, warm Friends you are glad to see ほんとだね!元気げんき?
お久ひさしぶりです Polite Teachers, seniors, acquaintances お久ひさしぶりです。お元気げんきでしたか。
ご無沙汰ぶさたしております Business, formal Clients, former bosses, in emails こちらこそご無沙汰ぶさたしております。
久ひさしいな Archaic, dramatic Characters in stories; not real life 久ひさしぶりだな。

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 3 and 4 are a pair — the same meaning at two different levels of politeness.

1. Say "Long time no see!" to a close friend.

Show answer

久ひさしぶり! — the short casual form. No です is needed because you are talking to a friend.

2. Say "It's been a while" politely to your teacher.

Show answer

お久ひさしぶりです。 — お plus です raises the register for someone you should be polite to.

3. You are writing a business email to a former client you have not contacted for a year. Open with the right phrase.

Show answer

ご無沙汰ぶさたしております。 — it literally says "I have been out of touch," a small apology that suits business writing.

4. You meet a friend after months and want a warm, spoken version, not just bare 久ひさしぶり. What do you say?

Show answer

久ひさしぶりだね。 — adding だね softens the word and sounds like real speech between friends. This pairs with question 3 as the same idea at a very different register.

5. A client says ご無沙汰ぶさたしております to you. What is the natural reply?

Show answer

こちらこそご無沙汰ぶさたしております。 — "I'm the one who has been out of touch." Both people politely take the responsibility.

6. Your friend walks in a little late and you saw them yesterday. You say 久ひさしぶり! What does it mean?

Show answer

It is a joke. Since the gap is only a day, 久ひさしぶり becomes playful exaggeration. Said seriously, it would sound odd.

7. Say "I ate sushi for the first time in a long time" politely.

Show answer

久ひさしぶりに寿司すしを食たべました。 — 久ひさしぶりに is the adverb form attached to a verb, and 食たべました keeps it polite.

8. Say "It's been a while since I spoke Japanese" politely.

Show answer

日本語にほんごを話はなすのは久ひさしぶりです。 — の turns 話はなす into a noun phrase, and 久ひさしぶりです says how long ago it was.

9. After 久ひさしぶり! you want to ask a friend how they have been. Which is more natural, 元気げんき? or 元気げんきだった?

Show answer

元気げんきだった? — the past tense points back across the whole gap you just mentioned. 元気げんき? is not wrong, but it asks only about the moment.

10. What is wrong with saying ご無沙汰ぶさたしております to a friend at a casual dinner?

Show answer

It is too stiff. ご無沙汰ぶさたしております is business language with an apologetic tone. Use 久ひさしぶりだね with friends.

In a 30-minute trial lesson, greet a friend with 久ひさしぶり, a former teacher with お久ひさしぶりです and a client with ご無沙汰ぶさたしております.

FAQ

Is 久ひさしぶり rude to say to a teacher or boss? Bare 久ひさしぶり is too casual for them. Use お久ひさしぶりです for a teacher or senior, and ご無沙汰ぶさたしております for a boss, client, or anyone in a business setting.

Can I use 久ひさしぶり in a message or text? Yes, with friends. In texts, people often write 久ひさしぶり! or 久ひさしぶりー with a long vowel. For work messages, use お久ひさしぶりです or ご無沙汰ぶさたしております.

What is the difference between 久ひさしぶり and 久々ひさびさ? They mean the same thing. 久々ひさびさ is shorter and more casual, so you hear it mostly in spoken Japanese with friends. 久ひさしぶり is the safer default.

Does 久ひさしぶり only apply to people? No. You can say 久ひさしぶりに〜 about anything you did after a gap, such as eating a food or visiting a place. Only the greeting form 久ひさしぶり! is aimed at a person.

How do I answer お久ひさしぶりです? Repeat it back — お久ひさしぶりです — and add a short check-in like お元気げんきでしたか。 If someone says ご無沙汰ぶさたしております, answer こちらこそご無沙汰ぶさたしております.

Should I say 久ひさしぶり when I meet a coworker after a weekend? No. A weekend is too short, and it will sound like a joke. Use おはようございます or お疲つかれさまです instead.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab, and each line becomes one card.

久しぶり	ひさしぶり — long time no see, after a long gap
お久しぶりです	おひさしぶりです — it's been a while (polite)
久しぶりだね	ひさしぶりだね — long time no see (casual, warm)
ご無沙汰しております	ごぶさたしております — I have been out of touch (business)
久々	ひさびさ — a while, for the first time in a while (casual)
久しい	ひさしい — long-lasting, for a long time (archaic)
元気	げんき — well, healthy
変わりない	かわりない — unchanged, nothing new
無沙汰	ぶさた — silence, being out of touch
こちらこそ	こちらこそ — likewise, I'm the one who should say it
寿司	すし — sushi
運動する	うんどうする — to exercise

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including this one, which comes up in nearly every beginner's first few lessons. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

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