How to Use the Adjectives うれしい and 楽しい in Japanese
Translated from the Vietnamese original. View the original.
Using the two adjectives うれしい and 楽しい correctly
In this article let's look at the difference in how the two adjectives うれしい and 楽しい are used. Both are N4~N3 vocabulary. Understanding them helps not only in the exam but also in using them more naturally in everyday conversation.
The meaning and use of うれしい
→ It means glad
→ Used only for a short-lived feeling
→ It is an -i adjective
Examples:
① 初めまして。お会いできて、うれしいです。(hajimemashite/oaidekite ureshii desu)
Meaning: Hello. I'm very glad to meet you.
② 誕生日のプレゼントをもらって、うれしかった。(tanjobi no purezento wo moratte ureshikatta.)
Meaning: I was very glad to get a birthday present.
The gladness in ① is about the feeling at the moment of meeting the other person. The gladness in ② is about the feeling at the moment of receiving the birthday present. Both are short-lived, momentary feelings.
The meaning and use of 楽しい
→ Similar in meaning to うれしい
→ A feeling that lasts longer, a pleasure that repeats, where the person feels glad again and again
→ It is an -i adjective
Examples:
①A：初めまして。お会いできてうれしいです。(hajimemashite/oaidekite ureshii desu)
Hello. I'm very glad to meet you.
B：こちらこそお会いできてうれしいです。(kochira koso oaidekite ureshii desu.)
So am I. I'm glad to meet you.
~ After two hours of talking ~
A：今日はありがとうございました。楽しかったです。(kyo wa arigatogozaimashita/tanoshikatta desu.)
Thank you for today (for the conversation). It was really enjoyable.
B：こちらこと楽しかったです。また会いましょう。(kochira koto tanoshikatta desu/mata aimasho.)
I enjoyed it too. Let's meet again sometime.
In the case above, A first tells B about the gladness felt at the moment of meeting B, so うれしい is used. After two hours of talking, that person is still enjoying it — the pleasure that began on meeting has continued over time — so 楽しかった (the past tense of 楽しい) is used.
>>Summary
うれしい, meaning pleased or glad, is used for a momentary feeling
楽しい means much the same as うれしい, but the feeling has lasted over a longer period