What is natsui (なつい)? Meaning and examples

08/03/2020

natsui

“Natsui” is a word created and used by Japanese young people some years ago.
It is a shorten version of a word “natsukashii”.

It is used like these;

「この写真、なつい~(Kono shashin, natsui-)」
「みんな久しぶりだね、なつい!(Minna hisashiburi dane, natsui!」
「なつい!あの頃の記憶がよみがえる(Natsui! Ano koro no kioku ga yomigaeru」

Let’s take a closer look of natsui!

What does “Natsuki” mean? Hiragana and examples

Natsui (natsukashii) means feeling nostalgic or having met or found something or someone after a long time.

You must have said these at least once before.

「Oh, this is so nostalgic!」
「I miss my host mother in Japan」
「This book reminds me of my childhood.」
「This house bring me back old memories.」
「Good old days.」

The followings are some examples:

「この写真、なつい~ 」
Kono shashin, natsui-
(This photo gives me a nostalgic feeling.)

「みんな久しぶりだね、なついよね!
Minna hisashiburi dane, natsui yo ne!
(It’s been such a long time since we last met.)

「この音楽なつい~!あの頃の記憶がよみがえる。
Kono ongaku natsui-! Ano kono no kioku ga yomigaeru.
This music reminds me of the old times.”

Other short versions of …

“Natsui” in hiragana is 「なつい」、and it should be 「懐い」in kanji.
I am not sure using the kanji for “natsui” is appropriate because it is just a slang among young people and many people in Japan, who have heard this slang, feels a bit unconfortable with it.
They believe we should just say “natsukashii” properly.

Along with “natsui”, there are also “muzui” and “hazui” which are also short versions of “muzukashii” and “hazukashii” respectively.