Hinatazaka46 drop ‘Cliffhanger’, a song Katsuhiko Sugiyama and Yasushi Akimoto both write and compose. The idol group sings about forgetting how love works.
Released: January 8, 2026
Cliffhanger
Hinatazaka46
Cliffhanger Lyrics Translation – Hinatazaka46
The lyricist asks, ‘I have completely forgotten what it is like,’ while watching an amateur baseball game by the riverbed. A stranger’s spring-like laugh sparks a private drama inside the narrator, turning daily scenery into a mental love episode.
いつの時から そうなったんだろう？I wonder when it happened?
誰に対しても好きになれないI can’t seem to fall for anyone.
恋という感情なんてThat feeling people call love,
もう すっかり忘れてしまったI’ve completely forgotten what it’s like.
僕の中の何が変わったのか？What was it inside of me that changed?
心躍る出会いがないからかIs it because I haven’t had any heart-pounding encounters?
明日会いたい人がいないThere’s no one I want to see tomorrow.
孤独だと身に沁みるThe loneliness cuts deep.
河川敷の草野球The amateur baseball game by the riverbed,
ぼんやりと眺めながらI gaze at it absentmindedly.
誰かの笑い声がSomeone’s laughter,
春の陽だまりのようにlike a sunny spot in spring,
温かい気持ちにさせるmakes me feel something warm.
ラブストーリーなんてA love story?
ドラマの中だけだThat’s something you only see in dramas.
現実はありえないよIt could never happen in real life.
そんな絵空事期待してもEven if I hope for a fantasy like that,
そういつだって 落胆するI’ll always just end up disappointed.
ラブストーリーなんてA love story?
全て幻想なんだIt’s all just a fantasy.
目の前に君はいないYou’re not here in front of me.
高鳴るような展開を胸にWith a heart-pounding scenario in my mind,
思い込みラブストーリーit’s just my own delusional love story.
そんな恋愛経験ないけどI don’t have any experience with that kind of romance, but
なぜか臆病になってしまったsomehow I’ve become a coward.
恋の主演 務めるなんてTaking the leading role in a love story?
絶対にありえないIt’s absolutely impossible.
川沿い 一人歩きながらWhile walking alone along the river,
揺らぐ水面に 癒されたI found comfort in the rippling water’s surface.
大事な人がいればIf I just had someone important,
なんて素敵な世界とwhat a wonderful world it would be,
生きてる意味を知る日が来るand a day would come when I’d know the meaning of being alive.
ハートブレイクだってEven a heartbreak,
いつかのためになるwill be worth it someday.
切なくて溢(こぼ)す涙The tears I shed from the pain,
この掌で拭ったことさえeven the memory of wiping them away with my own hand,
僕は何度も思い出してるI remember it over and over again.
ハートブレイクだってEven from a heartbreak,
何かを学ぶだろうyou’re sure to learn something.
君のような人と会いたいI want to meet someone just like you.
上手くいかないと予想していてもEven if I expect it won’t go well,
プロセスはラブストーリーthe process is a love story.
(偶数なのか？)必然なのか？(Is it just a coincidence?) Or is it inevitable?
(運命は)予想できず(Destiny) is unpredictable,
(動いてる)(it’s always in motion).
ハッピーエンドも バッドエンドもWhether it’s a happy ending or a bad one,
先を見たくなるyou can’t help but want to see what’s next.
それはクリフハンガーThat’s what a cliffhanger is.
ラブストーリーなんてA love story?
ドラマの中だけだThat’s something you only see in dramas.
現実はありえないよIt could never happen in real life.
そんな絵空事期待してもEven if I hope for a fantasy like that,
そういつだって 落胆するI’ll always just end up disappointed.
ラブストーリーなんてA love story?
全て幻想なんだIt’s all just a fantasy.
目の前に君はいないYou’re not here in front of me.
高鳴るような展開を胸にWith a heart-pounding scenario in my mind,
思い込みラブストーリーit’s just my own delusional love story.
君のような人Someone like you,
いつかは 会いたいI hope I’ll meet them someday.
恋とはクリフハンガーLove is a cliffhanger.
Cliffhanger Music Video
‘Cliffhanger’ is about craving romance yet fearing the next scene. The lyrics insist every heartbreak is worth the next unpredictable episode, so the Hinatazaka46 track keeps the suspense alive.