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siawasena zikan ha mizikaku kanzimasu.

幸しあわせな　時間じかん　は　短みじかく　感かんじます。siawasena zikan ha mizikaku kanzimasu.
Happy times feel short.
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Questions & Answers about siawasena zikan ha mizikaku kanzimasu.

Why is 幸せ used with な before 時間 instead of directly modifying it?

Because 幸せ is a な-adjective (na-adjective). To use a な-adjective to directly modify a noun, you attach な between the adjective and the noun.

  • 幸せな時間 (correct)
  • *幸せ時間 (incorrect)
Why is 時間 marked with は instead of が or を?

The particle は marks the topic of the sentence. Here it means “as for happy times,” setting up that what follows is your comment or impression about them.

  • 幸せな時間は… (“As for happy times…”)
    If you used が, it would simply mark the subject (“Happy times feel short”) with a slight nuance change, but は emphasizes you’re talking about that specific concept of “happy times.”
Why is 短く in the –く form instead of 短い?

To modify the verb 感じます (“feel”), you need an adverb. You turn the i-adjective 短い (“short”) into its adverbial form 短く by replacing い with く.

  • 短く感じます = “feel short”
  • *短い感じます = ungrammatical
How does 感じます work here? Doesn’t “feel” usually take an object in English?

In Japanese, 感じる is intransitive when you express a sensation or impression. You don’t need an object, because you’re describing your own feeling about something. Grammatically, you have:
[Topic] は [manner/adverb: 短く] + [verb: 感じます].
Literally: “As for happy times, (I) feel (them) short.”

Why is the subject omitted in this sentence?

Japanese often omits the subject when it’s clear from context. Here, it’s naturally understood as I (“I feel that happy times are short”) or a more general “one.” No explicit subject is needed unless you want to clarify who is doing the feeling.

Could we say 幸せの時間は短く感じます instead of 幸せな時間?

You could say 幸せの時間, which literally means “time of happiness.” The nuance is slightly more nouny and abstract. 幸せな時間 (“happy time”) sounds more natural when you want to describe the qualitative feeling of that time. Both are grammatically correct, but 幸せな時間 is more common for “happy times.”

Can we make this sentence sound more casual?

Yes. In casual speech, drop the polite ます ending:

  • 幸せな時間は短く感じる。
    You could also use different verbs or expressions:
  • 幸せな時間ってあっという間だね。 (“Happy times go by in a flash, huh?”)
Is there any nuance to using は＋感じます rather than just saying 短い?
Yes. Saying 短く感じます emphasizes your personal impression or feeling. Simply saying 短い is a direct statement of fact (“It’s short”). Adding 感じます softens it and makes it clear it’s your subjective view.