気にしないで

• 読み: きにしないで
• ローマ字: ki ni shinaide
• 漢字の分解: 気 (spirit/mind/feeling) — 気にする = to mind/worry about, しないで = don't do
• 発音: /ki.ni.ɕi.na.i.de/

意味

A reassuring phrase meaning 'don't worry about it' or 'never mind' — used to put someone at ease after a mistake or apology.

気にしないで is the go-to response when someone apologises for a minor inconvenience or expresses concern about something trivial. It literally means 'don't let it weigh on your mind' and is a kind, dismissive wave that says the matter is not worth stressing over. It can also be used pre-emptively to tell someone not to worry about a favour they are about to do.

例文

1. コーヒーこぼしちゃった？気にしないで、すぐ拭くよ。
2. 遅れてごめん。気にしないで、全然大丈夫だよ。
3. お金のことは気にしないで、今日は俺が出すから。

使い方ガイド

場面: reassurance, after apologies, friends, texting

トーン: reassuring, kind

正しい言い方

• 気にしないで、誰でもミスはあるよ (Don't worry about it, everyone makes mistakes)
• 気にしないで、大したことないから (Don't sweat it, it's no big deal)

避ける言い方

• 重大なミスに「気にしないで」は軽すぎる — 状況に合わせた対応が必要 (Saying 気にしないで about a serious mistake is too dismissive — respond appropriately to the situation)

よくある間違い

• Using 気にしないで for genuinely serious situations where the person needs accountability, not dismissal
• Forgetting the polite form 気になさらないでください for formal contexts

起源と歴史

From 気 (spirit/mind) + にする (to make into) + ないで (don't), literally 'don't make it into [something on your] mind.' A natural Japanese construction reflecting the cultural emphasis on harmony and relieving others' psychological burden.

文化的背景

時代: Long-standing everyday expression

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used nationwide. Essential for maintaining social harmony by quickly alleviating guilt or embarrassment.