何の言葉07 ほっとする(hotto suru)

Hi readers!

Since our previous email about 間に合う might have made you feel a little nervous about being on time and reminded you of your missed deadlines, today we’ll talk about feeling relieved or at ease!

How do you feel about the following situations?
a) Coming back home after a long travel
b) Completing a big project that went well
c) Eating home cooked porridge when you are sick

Today you will learn the word to describe the feeling in these situations.

What is ほっとする？

ほっとする (hotto suru) means to be relieved, relaxed, become comforted or calm.

ほっ (ho) = “sigh” you make when you feel relaxed or relieved.
とする (tosuru) = (a state/condition) becomes

So in a literal sense, ほっとする is “to breathe a sigh of relief”.

How to use ほっとする

There are 2 slight nuance differences for the meaning of ほっとする:

　1. Feeling relieved that a problem is solved / situation ended after a period of uneasiness or nervousness

For example, in a conversation:

A: “Hey, I heard you passed your exam! Congratulations!”
B: “Yeah, I’m so relieved! I thought I wouldn’t be able to pass.”

　2. Immediately feeling relaxed or comforted by something

Example situations include:

• Drinking hot tea in a cold season

• Having a bath in an onsen

• Sitting down on a sofa after a long day of cleaning

English phrases with similar meaning to ほっとする:

“relieved”
“at ease”
“relaxed”
“comforted”
“rest”

 💡 Take a short break!

A good time to use「ほっとする」 is when you take ひと休み (hitoyasumi).

ひと休み means a “short break” like 5 or 10 minutes (it depends), during work, study, sports, chores and so on.

「そろそろひと休みしようよ。」
It’s almost time to take a short break.

「そうだね。紅茶でも飲んで、ほっとしよう。」
Yeah. Let’s rest by drinking some tea.

For example, you take a break for 10 minutes, have a drink, lay back on a sofa, chatting with your colleagues or just doing nothing, and after this ひと休み, you’ll be refreshed and be able to focus better at work.

1. やっと試験に合格して、ほっとした。

   I finally passed the exam, I’m relieved!

2. 彼氏の顔を見ると、ほっとする。

   When I look at my boyfriend’s face, I feel comforted.

    

3. 疲れたね。コーヒーを飲んでほっとしよう。 
   I’m tired. Let’s rest and have some coffee.

    

4. それを聞いてほっとしたよ。

   After hearing that, I felt relieved.

    

5. ほっとする味だね。

   Such a comforting taste.

    

Japanese phrases with similar meaning to ほっとする:

・安心する（anshin suru)
・癒される（iyasareru）
・落ち着く（ochitsuku）

When was your last ほっとした moment?

Let us know!

Sincerely,
Amasugi Letter