願いごとの持ち腐れ – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: AKB48
• Album: 48th Maxi Single「願いごとの持ち腐れ」

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the poignant beauty of AKB48's "Negaigoto no Mochigusare," a song that delves into the unused potential of wishes and the importance of cherishing every moment. With its unique blend of J-pop and Russian folk influences, this song offers a chance to reflect on personal dreams and the impact of our choices.

[English]

If I could use magic,

and one dream could come true,

surely, everyone in the world,

would find happiness.

Not even a single tear, I think,

no one would shed tears (hope).

The seeds of sadness,

would all disappear.

Wasting my wishes,

Magic that only happens once,

I start wanting this and that,

and I can't decide right now.

While I'm lost in doubt, dusk falls.

...

One day, over something small,

there were two people fighting.

I inadvertently wished,

for them to get along.

A way to live I was searching for.

A once-in-a-lifetime chance.

A precious magic,

I used it right here.

No regrets about my wish.

If it's just for myself, I only hesitate.

If everyone in the world wished for someone,

we could become one.

A smile is the dawn of love.

...

Wasting my wishes,

I don't want magic anymore.

I have many dreams I want to fulfill,

but I wonder, what's my real wish?

If I could find it, I’d be happy.

...

[Japanese]

もしも 魔法が使えて

夢がひとつ叶うならば

きっと 世界の誰もが

しあわせになる

涙 (ひと粒も) なんか (そうきっと)

流す者はいない (希望)

悲しみの (悲しみの) 種は

すべて (すべて) 消えるだろう

願いごとの持ち腐れ

一度きりの魔法なんて

あれもこれも欲が出て

今すぐに決められないよ

迷ってるうちに黄昏

ある日 些細 (ささい) なことから

争ってる二人がいた

僕は思わず願った

仲良くしてと

僕に (探してた) とって (生きる道)

たった一度きりの (チャンス)

大切な (大切な) 魔法

ここで (ここで) 使ったんだ

願いごとに悔いはない

自分のためじゃ迷うだけ

世界中が誰かのため

願えたらひとつになれる

微笑みは愛の夜明けだ

願いごとの持ち腐れ

魔法なんか欲しくはない

叶えたい夢は多いけど

本当の願いは何か

見つけられたならしあわせ

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
魔法 (mahō) /mahoː/ B1	noun - magic, witchcraft
夢 (yume) /jɯme/ A2	noun - dream
世界 (sekai) /sekai/ A2	noun - world
幸せ (shiawase) /ɕiaɰase/ A2	adjective - happiness, blessedness noun - happiness, good fortune
涙 (namida) /namida/ A2	noun - tear
希望 (kibō) /kiboː/ B1	noun - hope
悲しみ (kanashimi) /kanasimi/ B1	noun - sadness, sorrow
種 (tane) /tane/ A2	noun - seed
願い (negai) /negai/ A2	noun - wish, desire
黄昏 (tasogare) /tasogare/ B2	noun - dusk, twilight
些細 (sasai) /sasai/ B2	adjective - trivial, minor, insignificant
争い (arasoi) /aɾasoi/ B2	noun - dispute, conflict, strife
道 (michi) /mit͡ɕi/ A1	noun - road, path, way
後悔 (kōkai) /koːkai/ B2	noun - regret, remorse verb - to regret
微笑み (hohoemi) /hohoemi/ B2	noun - smile
愛 (ai) /ai/ A2	noun - love
夜明け (yoake) /joake/ B2	noun - dawn, daybreak

Key Grammar Structures

• もしも 魔法が使えて

  ➔ Imperative mood with もしも + verb in potential form to express hypothetical situations.

  ➔ The phrase uses もしも combined with the verb in potential form to talk about hypothetical scenarios.

• 願いごとの持ち腐れ

  ➔ Noun + の + 持ち腐れ (もちはくれ): meaning 'having been left unfulfilled or wasted'.

  ➔ The phrase combines a noun with の to nominalize and emphasizes the concept of something being wasted or unfulfilled.

• 一度きりの魔法なんて

  ➔ 一度きりの + noun: 'only once' + noun to specify a limited or singular occurrence.

  ➔ The structure uses 一度きりの to emphasize that the noun refers to something that happens only once or is limited in occurrence.

• 今すぐに決められないよ

  ➔ Potential form 〜られる + 〜ない to express inability or indecision to do something immediately.

  ➔ The grammatical pattern combines the potential form of a verb with the negative 〜ない to convey inability or hesitation to perform an action immediately.

• 世界中が誰かのため

  ➔ が after nouns (世界中, 誰か) marks the subject of the sentence, indicating 'the world' and 'someone' as the subjects.

  ➔ The particle が marks the subject of the clause, emphasizing 'the world' and 'someone' as the actors of the action.