羨ましい（うらやましい、urayamashii）
- enviable

The Japanese word 羨ましい (うらやましい) expresses the feeling of envy, or being envious of someone or something. It signifies a desire to have what another person has, whether it be a possession, a skill, a lifestyle, or a relationship. It's a common emotion, and 羨ましい captures the essence of that feeling, which can range from mild admiration to a more intense longing. The feeling is often positive in the sense that it motivates you to also achieve something similar, but it can also be tinged with a little bit of sadness because you don't possess the thing you are envying. The feeling can be about something large or small. The feeling is usually directed to a person or thing. The feeling can also be translated to "I envy you" or "how envious I am."

⚫︎ 彼女の旅行の写真を見て、羨ましいと思った。 Translation: I felt envious seeing her travel photos. ⚫︎ 田中さんの仕事ぶりが羨ましい。あんな風に活躍したいな。 Translation: I envy how Tanaka-san works. I want to be as successful as that. ⚫︎ 新しい車を買った友達が羨ましい。 Translation: I am envious of my friend who bought a new car.

⚫︎ 羨ましい is typically used in casual and polite conversation. ⚫︎ You can use it to directly express your feelings: "羨ましい!" (I'm envious!) or "羨ましいですね。" (I envy you, don't I?) (polite). ⚫︎ When speaking about someone else, you can use phrases like "〜を羨ましいと思っている" (I envy 〜) or "〜が羨ましい" (I envy 〜). ⚫︎ You can use the stem, 羨まし combined with other verbs to express a variety of nuances.

⚫︎ The word is primarily written in hiragana as うらやましい. ⚫︎ The kanji form is 羨ましい. ⚫︎ The okurigana (送りがな, suffix hiragana) is usually the same.

⚫︎ 妬ましい (ねたましい): This word is very close to 羨ましい, but it often carries a stronger connotation of resentment or bitterness. It is not always appropriate to use this word. ⚫︎ 嫉妬する (しっとする): This is a verb meaning "to be jealous" or "to envy." ⚫︎ 憧れる (あこがれる): This means "to long for" or "to admire," but it doesn't necessarily imply envy, it may express admiration or aspiration.

⚫︎ There aren't direct antonyms for 羨ましい, because envy is a complex emotion. ⚫︎ However, words that express the opposite feeling of being content or not caring include: 満足している (satisfied), 気にならない (don't mind/not concerned), or 興味がない (not interested).

彼が新しいゲームを買ったのを聞いて、とても羨ましかった。 ・Translation: I was very envious when I heard that he bought a new game. ・Explanation: The use of the past tense 羨ましかった shows that the feeling of envy was experienced in the past.

あなたの日本語の能力が羨ましいです。 ・Translation: I envy your Japanese language ability. ・Explanation: This is a polite way of expressing envy and can be used to compliment someone's skills.

The etymology of 羨ましい is linked to the kanji character 羨. This character originally meant "to admire" or "to desire," with a sense of wanting something that someone else possesses. The addition of the suffix しい transformed it into an adjective, creating the word 羨ましい.