Japanese for Long-Distance Friends: Suggesting a Video Call and Saying You Miss Hanging Out
Learn elementary Japanese to stay close to faraway friends: suggest a video call, say you miss hanging out, and set a day and time that works for both of you.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
Friendships often continue across cities and countries, and Japanese has simple, natural ways to keep them warm. In this lesson you will learn how to suggest a video call with a friend, say that you miss hanging out, and agree on a day and time. The key pattern is the volitional form plus ましょう (mashō), as in ビデオ通話しましょう (bideo tsūwa shimashō), "let's video chat." You will also learn 会いたい (aitai), "I want to see you," and 会えなくてさみしい (aenakute samishii), "I'm lonely because we can't meet." These are friendly but polite, so they work with close friends and with people you know but do not see often. You will also practice asking いつがいい？ (itsu ga ii?), "when is good?", and offering a concrete time with はどう？ (wa dō?), "how about ...?" Keep your tone warm and casual-polite: Japanese long-distance friendships are maintained with small, regular messages, not one big declaration.
By the end, you can…
- suggest a video call to a friend in natural Japanese.
- say I miss hanging out and want to see someone.
- ask when a friend is free and propose a day and time.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
ビデオ通話しましょう。
Let's video chat.
bideo tsūwa shimashō
A friendly suggestion. Use しましょう (shimashō) after a noun plus する (suru) to mean "let's do ...". Good in messages and calls with friends.
会いたいです。
I want to see you. / I miss you.
aitai desu
Literally "I want to meet." In a long-distance friendship it often means "I miss you." Add また (mata), "again," for また会いたいです (mata aitai desu).
会えなくてさみしいです。
I'm lonely because we can't meet.
aenakute samishii desu
Uses the negative て-form 会えなくて (aenakute) plus さみしい (samishii), "lonely." Warm and sincere; common between close friends.
いつがいいですか。
When is good for you?
itsu ga ii desu ka
A neutral, polite way to ask about a friend's availability. With a close friend you can drop です and say いつがいい？ (itsu ga ii?).
土曜日の夜はどうですか。
How about Saturday night?
doyōbi no yoru wa dō desu ka
Pattern: time + はどうですか (wa dō desu ka), "how about ...?" Replace 土曜日の夜 with any day and time.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To suggest an activity with a friend, take a noun plus する (suru) and change it to しましょう (shimashō): ビデオ通話する (bideo tsūwa suru, "do a video call") becomes ビデオ通話しましょう (bideo tsūwa shimashō, "let's video chat"). You can also use the verb directly: 話しましょう (hanashimashō, "let's talk"). To soften a suggestion and ask for agreement, add か (ka) with a rising intonation: ビデオ通話しませんか (bideo tsūwa shimasen ka), literally "won't we video chat?", which sounds like an invitation. For proposing a time, use time + はどうですか (wa dō desu ka): 日曜日はどうですか (nichiyōbi wa dō desu ka, "how about Sunday?").
When to use it
Use 会いたいです (aitai desu) when you genuinely miss someone; it is warmer than a simple 久しぶり (hisashiburi, "long time no see"). Use 会えなくてさみしいです (aenakute samishii desu) when you want to explain the feeling of distance. For scheduling, いつがいいですか (itsu ga ii desu ka) is safe with anyone; いつがいい？ (itsu ga ii?) is fine with close friends. If you must decline a suggested time, say ごめん、その日はちょっと… (gomen, sono hi wa chotto..., "sorry, that day is a bit...") and then offer another: じゃあ、金曜日はどう？ (jā, kin'yōbi wa dō?, "then how about Friday?").
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
ひさしぶり！元気ですか。
Long time no see! How are you?hisashiburi! genki desu ka元気です。会えなくてさみしいです。
I'm fine. I'm lonely because we can't meet.genki desu. aenakute samishii desu私も。ビデオ通話しましょう。いつがいいですか。
Me too. Let's video chat. When is good for you?watashi mo. bideo tsūwa shimashō. itsu ga ii desu ka土曜日の夜はどうですか。
How about Saturday night?doyōbi no yoru wa dō desu kaA little context goes a long way
Japanese long-distance friends often keep in touch with short, frequent messages rather than long calls, and they usually confirm a time before calling. ビデオ通話 (bideo tsūwa) is a common word for video chat; 通話 (tsūwa) alone means a voice call. Politeness matters: です/ます (desu/masu) is safe with anyone, while plain forms like いつがいい？ (itsu ga ii?) signal closeness. When you suggest a time, giving a concrete option is often more helpful than asking an open question.
One thing to watch for
Saying 会いたいです (aitai desu) to mean "I want to meet you" for a first meeting or a business appointment.
Try this instead: 会いたいです is warm and personal, so it suits friends and people you already know. For a first business meeting, use お会いしたいです (o-ai shitai desu) with the honorific お (o) and humble form, or simply お会いできたらうれしいです (o-ai dekitara ureshii desu), "I would be happy if we could meet." Keep 会いたいです for friends.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you suggest a video call to a friend?
Show a sample answer
ビデオ通話しましょう。
ビデオ通話 (bideo tsūwa) plus しましょう (shimashō) means "let's video chat." ビデオ通話しませんか (bideo tsūwa shimasen ka) is also correct and sounds like a softer invitation.
2Your friend suggests Sunday, but you are busy. How do you politely decline and offer Friday?
Show a sample answer
ごめん、日曜日はちょっと…。じゃあ、金曜日はどう？
その日はちょっと (sono hi wa chotto) softens a refusal without saying no directly. じゃあ (jā) means "then," and 金曜日はどう？ (kin'yōbi wa dō?) proposes Friday. With a polite friend, use 金曜日はどうですか (kin'yōbi wa dō desu ka).
3How do you say "I'm lonely because we can't meet"?
Show a sample answer
会えなくてさみしいです。
会えなくて (aenakute) is the negative て-form of 会う (au), and さみしい (samishii) means "lonely." 会えなくてさびしいです (aenakute sabishii desu) is also acceptable; さびしい and さみしい are variants of the same word.
To keep a long-distance friendship warm in Japanese, suggest ビデオ通話しましょう (bideo tsūwa shimashō), share the feeling with 会いたいです (aitai desu) or 会えなくてさみしいです (aenakute samishii desu), and confirm a time with いつがいいですか (itsu ga ii desu ka) plus a concrete option like 土曜日の夜はどうですか (doyōbi no yoru wa dō desu ka).
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