待ち遠しい
まちどおしい
i-adjective
looking forward to; eagerly awaited
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 待ち遠しい | 待ち遠しくない |
| Past | 待ち遠しかった | 待ち遠しくなかった |
| て form | 待ち遠しくて | 待ち遠しくなくて |
| Adverbial | 待ち遠しく | — |
| Conditional ば | 待ち遠しければ | 待ち遠しくなければ |
| Conditional たら | 待ち遠しかったら | 待ち遠しくなかったら |
1.
looking forward to; eagerly awaited; long-awaited
Describes the feeling of eagerly wanting something to arrive or happen soon. Expresses anticipation and impatience for a positive event.
Always used for positive anticipation — never for dreading something. The subject is the thing being awaited, marked by が.
Pattern: Xが待ち遠しい (can't wait for X)
Common collocations
- 春が待ち遠しい (looking forward to spring)
- 卒業が待ち遠しい (can't wait for graduation)
- 待ち遠しくてたまらない (so eager one can barely stand it)
Usage note: This is a compound adjective from 待つ (to wait) + 遠い (far). Despite containing 遠い, the combined meaning is not about physical distance but emotional anticipation.