This post provides a comprehensive list of Japanese words that describe various personalities (性格, せいかく). Which one describes you the most?
Table of Contents
Basic/Standard Words
明るい (あかるい)
“cheerful, energetic” (literally “bright”)
Synonym: 陽気（ようき）
暗い (くらい)
“gloomy” (literally “dark”)
Synonym: 陰気（いんき）
優しい (やさしい)
“kind”
Synonym: 親切 (しんせつ)
冷たい (つめたい)
“unkind” (literally “cold”)
冷静（れいせい）
“calm”
面白い（おもしろい）
“funny”
人見知り（ひとみしり）
“be shy or nervous when meeting someone for the first time”
礼儀正しい（れいぎただしい）
“polite”
せっかち
“hasty, impatient”
短気 (たんき)
“short-tempered”
わがまま
“selfish, self-indulgent”
謙虚 (けんきょ)
“modest”
思いやりのある (おもいやりのある)
“considerate”
ケチ
“stingy”
cf: 守銭奴 (shusendo) Meaning “Protect-Money Person” (Miser) in Japanese
負けず嫌い (まけずぎらい)
“competitive, always hate to lose”
優柔不断 (ゆうじゅうふだん)
“indecisive, wishy-washy”
臆病（おくびょう）
“cowardly”
誠実（せいじつ）
“sincere”
頑固（がんこ）
“stubborn”
几帳面（きちょうめん）
“methodical, meticulous”
真面目（まじめ）
“serious, earnest”
ずぼら
“lazy, sloppy”
Synonym: 怠惰（たいだ）
神経質 (しんけいしつ)
“fussy, fastidious, sensitive”
完璧主義 (かんぺきしゅぎ)
“perfectionist”
変人 (へんじん)
“wierdo”
変態 (hentai)
“perverted”
Words with 的
社交的 (しゃこうてき)
“social, outgoing”
積極的 (せっきょくてき)
“active, proactive”
消極的 (しょうきょくてき)
“passive”
楽観的 (らっかんてき)
“optimistic”
Synonym: ポジティブ
悲観的 (ひかんてき)
“pessimistic”
Synonym: ネガティブ
自己中心的 (じこちゅうしんてき)
“self-centred”
Often abbreviated as 自己中 (じこちゅう) in a casual conversation.
Synonym: 自分勝手 (じぶんかって)
Words with 屋
Note that “屋” is sometimes omitted in the following words (except for the first word 気分屋, which is always used as it is).
気分屋（きぶんや）
“fickle, changeable, moody”
(cf) 気分 (きぶん): “feeling”
Note that ムーディー (“moody”) in Japanese means “romantic”; see Confusing English Loan Words in Japanese
恥ずかしがり屋（はずかしがりや）
“shy”
(cf) 恥(は)ずかしい: “feel embarrassed”
Synonym: 照れ屋（てれや）
目立ちたがり屋（めだちたがりや）
“love to stand out/gather attention”
(cf) 目立つ (めだつ): “stand out”
寂しがり屋 （さびしがりや）
“tend to feel lonely (and hence like to be with someone)”
(cf) 寂しい (さびしい): “lonely”
めんどくさがり屋(や)
“lazy, slacker, easily find things めんどくさい (‘bothersome, laborious’)”
Slang
隠キャ/陽キャ (いんきゃ/ようきゃ)
“introvert/extravert”
Short for 陰気(いんき)/陽気(ようき)なキャラクター : “gloomy/cheerful character”
コミュ障 (こみゅしょう)
“suck at communication”;
Short for コミュニケーション障害 (“communication disorder”) but does not indicate the actual disease. See more at コミュ障 (komyushou) Meaning ‘Suck at Communication’ in Japanese
オタク (otaku)
“nerd; be extremely interested in certain things, e.g. anime/manga/idols/trains”
It used to be a derogatory term for nerdy people, but nowadays it’s not that negative, but rather neutral.
(cf) オタク気質(きしつ): “Otaku disposition”
English Loan Words
アウトドア/インドア
“outdoor/indoor type of a person”
シャイ
“shy”
Synonyms: 照れ屋 (てれや), 内気 (うちき), 恥ずかしがり屋（はずかしがりや）
フレンドリー
“friendly”
Synonym: 気さくな (きさくな)
ピュア
“pure”
Synonym: 純粋 (じゅんすい), 無垢（むく）
クール
“cool, calm”
Japanese-English Words
マイペース (“my pace”)
“laidback, always do things at one’s own pace”
ナイーブ (“naïve”)
“sensitive” (NOT “naïve”)
(cf) Confusing English Loan Words in Japanese
S/M (エス/エム)
S: “aggressive; bossy; like to dominate someone”
M: “be passive; like to be ordered/teased; be very patient”
S and M stand for “Sadist” and “Masochist”, respectively, and these terms are used very casually in Japanese.
マザコン/ファザコン/シスコン/ブラコン
“those who love their mother/father/sister/brother excessively”
Short for “mother/father/sister/brother complex”, which are Japanese-English terms. Here, the term “complex” alludes to the psychoanalytic term “Oedipus complex”. Learn more at Japanese Wasei-Eigo List (“Japlish”) and Their Meanings.
Advanced Words
お人好し （おひとよし）
“too nice to others; gullible”
凝り性（こりしょう）
“a perfectionist, meticulous about one’s work, hobby, etc”
(cf) 凝る (こる): 1. “care about tiny details”; 2. “(a part of the body) gets stiff”
天邪鬼 （あまのじゃく）
“have a twisted mind and prefer doing the opposite to what one is told/expected to do, or what a majority of people do”
(e.g.)
– Feel like studying hard after an exam period is over
– Eat shaved ice (かき氷) in winter
Often written in hiragana rather than kanji
お節介（おせっかい）
“nosy, fond of meddling in someone’s affairs and trying to help them without being asked”
It’s used both as an adjective (e.g. お節介な人) or a noun “the act of meddling”. As a verb, it is usually used in the phrase “お節介を焼(や)く”: “give unwanted help to someone”.
cf: ありがた迷惑 (arigata meiwaku) Meaning “Unwelcome Favour” in Japanese
八方美人（はっぽうびじん）
“be superficially nice to everyone, often in a two-faced and sycophantic manner” (literally “a beautiful person from eight directions”)
Its connotation is similar to that of “a chameleon person” or “a yes man” in English. While 美人 (びじん) usually refers to beautiful women, this idiom can describe both men and women.
(e.g.)
彼女は話す相手によって意見をコロコロ変える八方美人だから、信用できない。
I cannot trust her because she is a 八方美人 who often changes her opinions a lot depending on whom she talks with.
天真爛漫 (てんしん らんまん)
“vibrant, energetic, open, artless and natural, childlike”
Usually used to describe women, e.g. 好きな女性のタイプは、天真爛漫な人です！ (“My type of girl is someone with an open, vibrant and childlike personality!”)
Synonym: 無邪気（むじゃき）
おしとやか
“quiet, placid, graceful, and sophisticated”
Usually used to describe women
三枚目 (さんまいめ)
“funny, comical type (of a man)”
In contrast, 二枚目 (にまいめ) means “cool, handsome type (of a man)”. Both words originate from kabuki, a traditional Japanese performance art.
This is an excellent list! I learned a lot. I thought the terms コミュ障 and 天邪鬼 were amusing. Thank you.