How to Say ‘Am nervous’ in Japanese
緊張してます
kinchou shi te masu
[keen-choh shee teh mahss]
Phrase Breakdown
緊張
kinchou
[keen-choh]
nervousness; tension
緊張 means feeling nervous or tense. Very common in flirting when admitting you’re a little shy.
緊張しすぎないでください。
Please don’t be too nervous.
し
shi
[shee]
do
し is the stem of する, “to do.” It combines with nouns like 緊張 to make verbs.
緊張してます。
I’m nervous.
て
te
[teh]
and; -te form
て links parts of a verb phrase. Here it helps form the progressive polite expression.
緊張してます。
I’m nervous.
ます
masu
[mahss]
polite verb ending
ます makes the expression polite, appropriate for someone you just met.
少し飲みます。
I drink a little.
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