未来みらい vs. 将来しょうらい : What’s The Difference? With 10 Examples

What is the difference between “未来みらい” and “将来しょうらい“? Some leaners think 将来しょうらい is used for people and 未来みらい is used for things, however, it’s wrong. We use 未来みらい for people as well. These are one of the complicated words for Japanese learners, however, don’t worry about it. It’s going to be clear after reading this. Let me introduce how to correctly use 未来みらい and 将来しょうらい today and just try to use these when you have opportunities to talk with native speakers!

未来みらい

Future (Distant Future)

“未来みらい” means “DISTANT Future”, unlike “将来しょうらい” which means “NEAR future”. So although you could say “近ちかい将来しょうらい(near future)”, “近ちかい未来みらい(near distant? future)” is wrong because “未来みらい” is not used as the meaning of “near(近ちかい)”. Whereas although you could say “遠とおい未来みらい(distant future)”, “遠とおい将来しょうらい(distant near? future)” is wrong because “将来しょうらい” is not used as the meaning of “DISTANCE(遠とおい)”. Furthermore, “未来みらい” has been used in unrealistic situations because again “未来みらい” means “DISTANT future” that we can’t clearly imagine, can we? We think about the time of “未来みらい” that is from 50, 60 years to infinite such as 1,000 years later, 1,000,000,000 years later etc which means that “未来みらい” is not used as the meaning 2, 3 or 7, 8 years later(near future).

Example

たつや
今いまから1万年先いちまんねんさきの未来みらいに地球ちきゅうはあるのかな？ (I’m wondering if the earth exists the future after ten thousand years from now.) (从现在开始一万年后地球还会存在吗？) (지금부터 1만 년 뒤 미래에 지구는 존재할까?) (Tương lai 10 nghìn năm sau không biết Trái Đất có còn không ha?)

ゆか
未来みらいはどうなるか誰だれにもわからないよ。 (Nobody knows the future.) (没有人知道未来会是什么样子。) (미래는 어떻게 될지 아무도 몰라.) (Không ai có thể biết tương lai sẽ ra sao đâu.)

たつや
今いまの行動こうどうが未来みらいを作つくるんだって。 (I’ve heard the future is made from my present actions.) (现在的行动创造未来。) (지금의 행동이 미래를 만든대.) (Người ta nói rằng hành động của hiện tại sẽ tạo nên tương lai đấy.)

ゆか
未来みらいの自分じぶんから現在げんざいの自分じぶんに宛あてた手紙てがみを書かいてみて。 (Write a letter from your future self to your present self.) (未来的自己试着写一封信给现在的自己。) (미래의 자신이 현재의 자신에게 보내는 편지를 써 봐.) (Thử viết một bức thư từ bản thân trong trong tương lai cho mình ở hiện tại đi.)

たつや
未来みらいの自分じぶんをみたい。 (I wanna see my future self.) (好想看看未来的自己啊。) (미래의 나를 보고 싶어.) (Thật muốn thấy bản thân trong tương lai quá.)

将来しょうらい

Future (Near Future / Foreseeable Future)

“将来しょうらい” means “Near Future or Foreseeable Future” that I mentioned earlier and we think about the time of “将来しょうらい” that is from 0 to around 30 years. Kids sometimes talk about their future such as “I want to be a ___”. In this case, “将来しょうらい” is used such as “私わたしは将来しょうらい医者いしゃになりたい。(I want to be a doctor in the future.)” which is correct and “私わたしは未来みらい医者いしゃになりたい。(I want to be a doctor in the future.)” is wrong. Because “将来しょうらい” refers to the year which is from 0 to around 30 years.

Example

将来しょうらいの夢ゆめは？ (What is your dream?) (你未来的梦想是什么？) (장래희망이 뭐야?) (Ước mơ tương lai của cậu là gì?)

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将来しょうらいの夢ゆめはプログラマーになることだよ。 (My dream is to be a programmer in the future.) (未来的梦想是成为一名程序员。) (장래희망은 프로그래머가 되는 거야.) (Tớ muốn tương lai trở thành lập trình viên.)

将来しょうらい日本にほんで働はたらきたいから、日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうしてるの。 (I’ve been learning Japanese so that in the future, I wanna work in Japan.) (我希望将来在日本工作，所以我正在学习日语。) (나중에 일본에서 일하고 싶어서 일본어를 공부 중이야.) (Tương lai tớ muốn được làm việc ở Nhật nên giờ đang học tiếng Nhật.)