ジャーマンアイリス – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: 日向坂46
• Album: Love yourself!

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the poetic side of Japanese music with Hinatazaka46's “German Iris.” This song offers a beautiful opportunity to learn expressive and emotional language through its story of a bittersweet first love. Its nuanced lyrics about memory and unspoken feelings make it a special and relatable piece for language learners.

[English]

作词 : 秋元康

作曲 : 斉門

编曲 : 斉門

制作人 : 秋元康

In the crowd on the street corner

What I lost, it’s just

That I didn’t have the chance

I’ll tell myself that

We both thought

We liked each other, didn’t we?

Before graduation,

Why couldn’t I say it?

Youth is (so fleeting) short

I overlooked (something important) something precious

In that place (I hesitate)

If I had the courage (back then)

Ah, even now I could’ve been by your side

German Iris

Do you remember?

By the side of the path to school, it bloomed

A gorgeous purple flower

I didn’t know its name

So I called it Violet

Like a secret between you and me

Every time I recall, it’s bittersweet

People all become adults

Before they even realize it

Is knowing everything

Really a good thing?

First love is (so fleeting) never seen again

Only after (many years) do you realize

When I turn around (on that path)

You’re there (smiling)

Ah, I want to say something, but

German Iris

There are so many colors

But you and I only knew purple

We lived in a narrow world

If we’d seen more colors

We wouldn’t have misunderstood

That rainbow flower

German Iris

Do you remember?

By the side of the path to school, it bloomed

A gorgeous purple flower

I didn’t know its name

So I called it Violet

Like a secret between you and me

Every time I recall, it’s bittersweet

I looked it up in a plant encyclopedia

That purple flower from that day

[Japanese]

作词 : 秋元康

作曲 : 斉門

编曲 : 斉門

制作人 : 秋元康

Machikado no hitogomi de

Miushinatta mono nante mou

En ga nakatta dake to

Jibun ni iikikaseyou

Bokutachi wa otagai ni

Suki da to omotte ita no ni ne

Sotsugyou no sono mae ni

Naze ni ienakatta no ka?

Seishun wa (Akkenaku) mijikakute

Taisetsu na (Sou nanika) minogasu yo

Ano basho de (Tachidomaru)

Sono yuuki (Atta nara)

Ah Ima demo soba ni irareta

German Iris

Kimi wa oboete iru ka?

Tsugakuro no waki ni saiteita

Murasaki no karen na hana

Namae wo shiranakute

Baioletto to yondeta

Kimi to boku no himitsu no you de

Omoidasu tabi setsunai

Hito wa minna itsu no mani

Otona ni natte shimau ndarou

Shiranai koto sono subete wo

Shiru koto ga ii koto kai?

Hatsukoi wa (hakanakute) minoranai

Nannen ka (tatte kara) kizuku mono

Furimukeba (ano michi ni)

Hohoenda (Kimi ga iru)

Ah Kotoba wo kaketai keredo

German Iris

Ippai iro ga aru nda

Boku to kimi wa murasaki dake da to

Semai sekai ni ikiteta

Motto iroiro mitetara

Gokai shinakatta

Ano rainbow flower

German Iris

Kimi wa oboete iru ka?

Tsugakuro no waki ni saiteita

Murasaki no karen na hana

Namae wo shiranakute

Baioletto to yondeta

Kimi to boku no himitsu no you de

Omoidasu tabi setsunai

Shirabeta nda shokubutsu zukan

Ano hi no murasaki no hana

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
縁 /en/ B1	noun - fate, connection, relationship
自分 /jibun/ A1	noun - oneself, myself, yourself
卒業 /sotsugyou/ B1	noun - graduation
青春 /seishun/ B1	noun - youth
名前 /namae/ A1	noun - name
秘密 /himitsu/ A2	noun - secret
大人 /otona/ A1	noun - adult
初恋 /hatsukoi/ B1	noun - first love
勇気 /yuuki/ B1	noun - courage
世界 /sekai/ A1	noun - world
花 /hana/ A1	noun - flower
見失う /miushinau/ B2	verb - to lose sight of
思う /omou/ A1	verb - to think
覚えている /oboete iru/ A2	verb - to remember
咲いていた /saiteita/ B1	verb - was blooming
思い出す /omoidasu/ A2	verb - to recall
知る /shiru/ A1	verb - to know
気づく /kizuku/ B1	verb - to notice
短い /mijikai/ A1	adjective - short
大切な /taisetsu na/ A2	adjective - important, precious

Key Grammar Structures

• Machikado no hitogomi de

  ➔ Particle の (possessive/attributive)

  ➔ の is used to show possession or describe a noun. Here, 街角の (machikado no) means 'of the street corner'.

• Miushinatta mono nante mou

  ➔ Past tense of 失う (ushinau) + もう (mou)

  ➔ 失った (ushinatta) is the past tense of 失う, meaning 'lost'. もう (mou) adds emphasis, like 'anymore'.

• Bokutachi wa otagai ni

  ➔ Particle に (direction/target)

  ➔ に is used to indicate direction or a target. Here, 互いに (otagai ni) means 'to each other'.

• Sotsugyou no sono mae ni

  ➔ Particle の (possessive) + 前に (mae ni)

  ➔ の shows possession, and 前に (mae ni) means 'before'. Together, 卒業のその前に (sotsugyou no sono mae ni) means 'before graduation'.

• Seishun wa (Akkenaku) mijikakute

  ➔ Wa (は) particle for contrast + て form

  ➔ は (wa) is used for contrast, and the て form of adjectives is used for connecting. Here, 短くて (mijikakute) means 'short and'.

• Ano basho de (Tachidomaru)

  ➔ Particle で (location) + Verb in dictionary form

  ➔ で (de) indicates location, and the verb in dictionary form is used after it. Here, 立ち止まる (tachidomaru) means 'to stop'.

• Kimi wa oboete iru ka?

  ➔ Polite form of verb 覚える (oboeru) + か (ka) question particle

  ➔ 覚えている (oboete iru) is the polite form of 覚える, meaning 'to remember'. か (ka) turns the sentence into a question.

• Omoidasu tabi setsunai

  ➔ Every time (たびに) + Adjective in い form

  ➔ たびに (tabi ni) means 'every time', and 切ない (setsunai) is an adjective in い form, meaning 'painful'.