1.
to look forward to; to eagerly await
to anticipate something with pleasure and excitement
週末を楽しみにしている。
I'm looking forward to the weekend.
お会いできるのを楽しみにしています。
I look forward to meeting you.
子供たちは遠足を楽しみにしていて、前の晩は眠れなかったらしい。
The children were so looking forward to the field trip that they apparently couldn't sleep the night before.
One of the most common expressions for anticipation in Japanese. Almost always appears in the ている form (楽しみにしている) to express an ongoing state of looking forward to something. The polite form 楽しみにしています is a standard closing phrase in business emails and conversations.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 楽しみにしている: am looking forward to
- 楽しみにしています: look forward to (polite)
- 楽しみにしております: look forward to (humble/formal)
- 楽しみにしていてね: look forward to it! (casual)
- 楽しみにお待ちしています: looking forward to it (polite business)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 待ち遠しい: can hardly wait — emphasizes impatience and the feeling that time is passing too slowly
- わくわくする: to be excited — focuses on the excited feeling itself rather than anticipation
- 心待ちにする: to eagerly await — more literary and formal
USAGE NOTE:
In email sign-offs, 楽しみにしています is equivalent to English "I look forward to..." and is appropriate in both business and casual correspondence.