〜してる

• Reading: してる
• Romaji: shiteru
• Pronunciation: /ɕi.te.ɾɯ/

Meaning

Casual contraction of 〜している (doing something) — the standard casual progressive form used in everyday texting.

〜してる is the informal contraction of 〜している, dropping the い (i). In spoken and written casual Japanese, this contraction is near-universal. In texting, it is the default way to express ongoing actions or current states. Writing out the full 〜している in casual messages would sound overly formal or stiff. It applies to all verbs: 食べてる (eating), 見てる (watching), 寝てる (sleeping), etc.

Examples

1. 今なにしてる？暇なら遊ぼうよ。 What are you up to right now? Wanna hang out if you're free.
2. ドラマ見てるから後で電話するね。 I'm watching a drama, so I'll call you later.
3. まだ仕事してる…帰りたい。 Still working… wanna go home.

Usage Guide

Context: texting, casual conversation, LINE, social media

Tone: casual, everyday

Do Say

• 今なにしてる？ (What are you doing now?)
• ご飯食べてるとこ (I'm in the middle of eating)

Don't Say

• ビジネスメールでは「〜しています」と書く (In business emails, write the full 〜しています form)

Common Mistakes

• Using the full 〜している form in casual texts — it sounds stiff
• Not recognizing it as a contraction of 〜している when learning Japanese

Origin & History

Contraction of 〜している (progressive form). The い-dropping contraction has been standard in spoken Japanese for centuries, but became the default in texting from the 2000s as mobile messaging favored brevity.

Cultural Context

Era: Standard casual Japanese, texting from 2000s

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal casual

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. The most basic casual progressive form in Japanese.