懐(なつ)かしい

なつかしい

i-adjective

nostalgic, missed

Conjugation

1. nostalgic, dear (from the past)

Describes a warm, fond feeling toward something from the past. The subject evokes pleasant memories.

Hearing this song makes me feel nostalgic.

I met an old friend I hadn't seen in a long time.

Lit. 'a nostalgic friend'

Long time no see! It brings back memories.

Common greeting

Seeing the park where I played as a child made me feel nostalgic.

While looking at old photos, many fond memories from my student days came flooding back.

懐(なつ)かしい expresses a warm, fond feeling toward something from one's past: "nostalgic," "it brings back memories," "it's been so long."

The thing that brings back memories is the subject, marked with が:

故郷(ふるさと)が懐(なつ)かしい (I miss my hometown; my hometown fills me with nostalgia)
The verb 懐(なつ)かしむ takes を instead: 故郷(ふるさと)を懐(なつ)かしむ (to think fondly of one's hometown).

懐(なつ)かしい is about the past, not about someone you are apart from now. "I miss you" to a partner or family member is 会(あ)いたい or 寂(さび)しい, not 懐(なつ)かしい.

Related Words

core

Added 2026.1.11 21:39 · Revised 2026.10.1 13:22

02000/02484_natsukashii