ひさびさ

• Reading: ひさびさ
• Romaji: hisabisa
• Pronunciation: /çi.sa.bi.sa/

Meaning

It's been a while — a casual, softer variant of 久しぶり.

ひさびさ is the colloquial, often hiragana-written variant of 久々 (hisabisa). It has the same meaning as 久しぶり but sounds slightly more relaxed and conversational. It is particularly common in texting and social media, and is often used to describe doing something for the first time in a while rather than greeting people.

Examples

1. ひさびさに映画見に行った。 I went to the movies for the first time in forever.
2. ひさびさだね！何年ぶりだろう。 It's been ages! How many years has it been?
3. ひさびさの休みだから一日中寝てた。 First day off in a while, so I slept all day.

Usage Guide

Context: friends, texting, social media, casual conversation

Tone: relaxed, nostalgic

Do Say

• ひさびさにラーメン食べたらめっちゃ美味かった (I had ramen for the first time in ages and it was so good)
• ひさびさ〜！変わってないね (It's been ages! You haven't changed)

Don't Say

• フォーマルな場面では「久しぶりです」「お久しぶりです」を使う (In formal situations, use 久しぶりです or お久しぶりです)

Common Mistakes

• Thinking ひさびさ and 久しぶり are completely different — they are interchangeable in casual settings

Origin & History

Reduplication of 久 (hisa, long time), written as 久々. The hiragana spelling ひさびさ gives it a more casual, conversational tone. Standard colloquial Japanese.

Cultural Context

Era: Longstanding colloquial usage

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal casual

Regional notes: Used nationwide. The hiragana spelling is preferred in casual texting. Functionally identical to 久しぶり but slightly softer.