Talking About Past Life Changes in Japanese: 引っ越しました and 転職しました
Learn to say you moved to a new city or changed jobs in Japanese, share how you felt about those past changes, and ask others about theirs using natural elementary-level patterns.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
When people meet in Japan, a very common small-talk topic is past changes: moving to a new city or changing jobs. This lesson teaches you the core verbs 引っ越しました (hikkoshimashita, moved) and 転職しました (tenshokushimashita, changed jobs), plus simple ways to add feelings such as 大変でした (taihen deshita, it was tough) or 嬉しいです (ureshii desu, I'm happy). You will also learn how to ask a partner about their own move or job change, so you can keep a natural conversation going. The focus is on finished past events, not future career goals.
By the end, you can…
- say that I moved to a new city using 引っ越しました.
- say that I changed jobs using 転職しました.
- add a simple feeling about a past change, such as 大変でした or 嬉しいです.
- ask a conversation partner about their past move or job change.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
去年、新しい町に引っ越しました。
Last year, I moved to a new city.
Kyonen, atarashii machi ni hikkoshimashita.
Use に with 引っ越す to mark the destination. 町 (machi) means town or city; 新しい (atarashii) means new.
三か月前に転職しました。
I changed jobs three months ago.
Sankagetsu mae ni tenshokushimashita.
転職 (tenshoku) specifically means changing jobs, not simply starting a first job. 前に (mae ni) means ago.
引っ越しは大変でした。
The move was tough.
Hikkoshi wa taihen deshita.
大変でした is a polite past form meaning it was hard or tough. 引っ越し is the noun form of the move.
今はとても嬉しいです。
Now I'm very happy.
Ima wa totemo ureshii desu.
嬉しい (ureshii) describes your own happy feeling. Use とても (totemo) to mean very.
新しい仕事はどうですか。
How is your new job?
Atarashii shigoto wa dou desu ka.
A natural follow-up question after someone says they changed jobs. どうですか asks how something is.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To talk about a past change, use a time expression plus the polite past form of the verb. For example, 去年、新しい町に引っ越しました (Kyonen, atarashii machi ni hikkoshimashita) means 'Last year, I moved to a new city.' You can replace the time with 三か月前に (sankagetsu mae ni, three months ago) or 今年 (kotoshi, this year). The verb 引っ越しました is the polite past form of 引っ越す (hikkosu, to move house). For a job change, use 転職しました (tenshokushimashita). Add a feeling sentence after it: 大変でした (taihen deshita, it was tough) or 嬉しいです (ureshii desu, I'm happy).
When to use it
Use these patterns when you are talking about a finished event, not a plan. If you want to talk about a future move, say 引っ越すつもりです (hikkosu tsumori desu, I intend to move). For a past change, 引っ越しました and 転職しました are safe and polite in everyday conversation. When you ask about someone else's change, you can say いつ引っ越しましたか (itsu hikkoshimashita ka, when did you move?) or 転職しましたか (tenshokushimashita ka, did you change jobs?). Keep the past tense clear with ました, and avoid using it for a current state.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
去年、新しい町に引っ越しました。
Last year, I moved to a new city.Kyonen, atarashii machi ni hikkoshimashita.そうですか。引っ越しは大変でしたか。
I see. Was the move tough?Sou desu ka. Hikkoshi wa taihen deshita ka.はい、でも今はとても嬉しいです。
Yes, but now I'm very happy.Hai, demo ima wa totemo ureshii desu.いいですね。私は三か月前に転職しました。
That's nice. I changed jobs three months ago.Ii desu ne. Watashi wa sankagetsu mae ni tenshokushimashita.A little context goes a long way
In Japanese conversation, talking about a past move or job change is common small talk, but people often soften personal details. Saying 大変でした (taihen deshita) is acceptable and natural, while very strong complaints may be avoided with new acquaintances. Politeness comes from using です and ます forms, and from asking a gentle follow-up question such as 新しい仕事はどうですか rather than pressing for reasons.
One thing to watch for
Using 引っ越しました to mean 'I will move' or using 転職しました for a first job.
Try this instead: Use 引っ越しました only for a completed move, and use 転職しました only when you changed from one job to another. For a future move, say 引っ越すつもりです (hikkosu tsumori desu, I intend to move). For starting a first job, say 就職しました (shuushokushimashita, I started working at a company).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I moved to a new city last year' in polite Japanese?
Show a sample answer
去年、新しい町に引っ越しました。 (Kyonen, atarashii machi ni hikkoshimashita.)
This uses the time expression 去年, the destination marked by に, and the polite past verb 引っ越しました. You could also say 新しい町へ引っ越しました with へ, which is also correct.
2What is the difference between 引っ越しました and 転職しました?
Show a sample answer
引っ越しました means 'moved (house/city),' and 転職しました means 'changed jobs.'
引っ越す is about changing where you live, while 転職する is about changing your job. They are not interchangeable, though both can appear in the same conversation.
3Add a feeling to this sentence: 転職しました。 (I changed jobs.)
Show a sample answer
転職しました。大変でした。 (Tenshokushimashita. Taihen deshita.)
This adds a polite past feeling sentence. You could also say 転職しました。今は嬉しいです。 (Tenshokushimashita. Ima wa ureshii desu.) if the feeling is positive and current.
Use 引っ越しました for a past move and 転職しました for a past job change, then add 大変でした or 嬉しいです to share how you felt.
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