Daijoubu meaning: 大丈夫 (daijōbu) and 大丈夫です
大丈夫 (だいじょうぶ, daijōbu) means "OK", "all right" or "safe", and 大丈夫です is the polite way to say it. It has a second job too: said to an offer, it can mean "no, thanks". So the same words can say yes or no, and the question decides which.
It's written with the kanji 大 (big) and 丈夫 (sturdy), and you'll also see it in hiragana as だいじょうぶ.
Where it comes from
大丈夫 began as a Chinese word for a fine, fully grown man, read だいじょうふ. Japanese Wikipedia says the sense "safe, without danger" took hold from the Meiji era. Digital Daijisen still lists the old meaning, an admirable man, beside the modern ones.
Daijoubu desu ka: 'Are you OK?' and 'I'm OK'
Add か and you have a question: 大丈夫ですか means "are you OK?" or "is that all right?". It's what someone asks when you stumble or look unwell.
The reply is 大丈夫です: "I'm fine" or "that's fine with me". It also answers questions about plans. Asked whether Tuesday works, 大丈夫です means yes.
Dropping です gives plain 大丈夫, which is casual. です makes it polite. Said on its own, 大丈夫 can also reassure: "it's fine, don't worry".
This is not the same as asking how someone is in general. That is お元気ですか (おげんきですか, ogenkidesuka), and How Are You in Japanese explains when people really use it.
Daijoubu desu as 'no thanks'
Offered more tea, a bag or a flyer, many people reply 大丈夫です, meaning "I'm fine, I don't need it". It also covers "no need to", such as no need to heat your food. JMdict lists this as its own colloquial sense: "no thanks; I'm good". Digital Daijisen, on Kotobank, says people increasingly ask and answer about need, or its lack, with 大丈夫, and gives the example いえ、大丈夫です, marked as meaning "not needed".
The trouble is that the offer is also a question, and "it's fine" can answer it either way. A dictionary editor writing for Shogakukan's HugKum says this use is recent, was missing from older dictionaries, and can puzzle people over about 50, who may hear a yes. The same ambiguity is noted by Japanese Bank and by a travel guide at japan-temple.tokyo.
The words themselves aren't rude. The risk is being misunderstood, and tone: said sharply, 大丈夫ですから can come across as "mind your own business".
How to say yes or no clearly
Say the yes or the no first, then add a polite extra. These words do that:
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| お願いします | おねがいします | onegai shimasu | please | Yes, please: accepting an offer |
| いいえ | いいえ | iie | no | Start a refusal with it |
| 結構 | けっこう | kekkō | not needing (any more of something); (already) having enough; fine (as in "I'm fine") | いいえ、結構です: a firm, polite no |
| 構いません | かまいません | kamaimasen | no problem; it doesn't matter | I don't mind: accepting or agreeing to a plan |
| ありがとうございます | ありがとうございます | arigatōgozaimasu | thank you | Add it to any refusal |
To accept, say お願いします. To refuse, say いいえ, 結構です and thank them. A writer in President Online says 結構です can sound cold and abrupt, so add thanks, and avoid it with a superior. Another writer there finds いいです or いらないです clearer than 大丈夫です. A smile, a hand held up and naming the thing you mean (the bag, the receipt) all help.
For more, read No in Japanese, Please in Japanese and Thank You in Japanese.
Practise shopping phrases
Offers, prices and replies at the till, in a two-minute quiz.
Questions about daijoubu
What is the meaning of daijoubu, and what does daijoubu desu mean?
Daijoubu (大丈夫) means "OK", "all right" or "safe". 大丈夫です is the polite form, used for "I'm fine", "that's fine" and, after an offer, "no thanks".
Is daijoubu desu polite?
Yes, 大丈夫です is polite, because です makes it so. In a refusal it's polite but vague, so adding いいえ or ありがとうございます makes it clearer.
Does daijoubu mean "Are you OK"?
Daijoubu (大丈夫) can mean "are you OK?" when it is a question: 大丈夫ですか. The bare word, said with rising intonation, asks the same.
How do you respond to daijoubu or daijoubu desu ka?
Answer 大丈夫です if you're fine or the plan suits you. If it was an offer, say お願いします for yes or いいえ、結構です for no, and name the thing if the other person looks unsure.
What does "I suki you" mean?
"I suki you" isn't a Japanese sentence. It puts English "I" and "you" around 好き (すき, suki, “liking (romantically)”), so it means roughly "I like you". See I Love You in Japanese for how people really say it.
How do I say "I'm sorry" in Japan?
ごめんなさい (gomennasai) is the personal "I'm sorry", and すみません (sumimasen) often works as "excuse me" in public too. Sorry in Japanese covers more. Note that 大丈夫です is also what people say to an apology, meaning "it's OK".
What is Genki desu ka?
Genki desu ka (お元気ですか) means "how are you?". How Are You in Japanese explains when people really ask it, including 元気 (げんき, genki) (genki).
What does "doushita no" mean?
どうしたの (dōshitano, “what's the matter?”) is a casual question for when someone looks upset or something has happened. If the person answers 大丈夫, they often mean "I'm OK, don't worry".
Sources
- Readings and meanings: JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), including the colloquial sense "no thanks; I'm good".
- Dictionary entries for 大丈夫 (Digital Daijisen, the old meaning and the example いえ、大丈夫です): Kotobank.
- Where 大丈夫 comes from: Japanese Wikipedia, 丈夫.
- 大丈夫です as a refusal and how older speakers read it: HugKum, Shogakukan; President Online.
- The ambiguity for learners, and 大丈夫 as a reply to an apology or a plan: Japanese Bank, Daijoubu; Coto Academy, What does daijoubu mean? (also the "big" and "sturdy" parts); japan-temple.tokyo, What does daijoubu mean?; Self Taught Japanese, Daijoubu desu kara.
- Reviewed independently; the points about 大丈夫です as a refusal, 結構です, いいです and どうしたの are waiting for a native speaker's check.