How to Say ‘It was so close; nearly made it’ in Japanese
おしかった
oshikatsu ta
[oh-shee-kaht ta]
💬 Usage Tip: [おしい] means 'close' in the sense of 'almost' or 'what a pity.' [おしかった] is the past form: 'That was close!'
🇯🇵 In Japan: You will hear [おしい！] all the time in Japanese sports, game shows, and even daily life. It is one of the most useful reaction words to know.
Phrase Breakdown
おしかっ
oshikatsu
[oh-shee-kaht]
close; unfortunate; almost
The stem of 惜しい, often used when something almost happened or narrowly failed.
あの場面はおしかった。
That moment was so close.
た
ta
[ta]
past tense marker
Makes the adjective past tense, meaning it 'was' close.
本当におしかった。
It really was close.
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