Translation guide
Describes someone or something that is thin in an attractive or graceful way. Japanese has several words for 'slender', each with different nuances, contexts, and typical collocations.
Describing a person's figure as slim, graceful, and attractive.
A loanword from English, commonly used for women's figures. It carries a modern, stylish nuance and is often used in fashion contexts.
She has a slender figure.
Describes a slim, delicate, and graceful body shape, often for women. It implies a pleasing thinness, not just being skinny.
slender fingers
She is slender.
Literally 'thin body', used for people or objects. For people, it often describes a lean, slender build, sometimes with a slightly more masculine or unisex nuance than ほっそり.
a slender man
He is slender and tall.
Another loanword, 'slim'. Often used in advertising and health contexts. It can imply a fit, trim body rather than just thinness.
I want to get a slender body.
Literally 'willow waist', a poetic term for a slender, supple waist, often used in classical literature or to describe a graceful feminine figure.
a slender-waisted beauty
Describing long, thin, and often graceful inanimate objects.
The most common word for 'long and thin'. It can describe anything from a slender neck to a narrow room. It doesn't necessarily imply attractiveness, just the shape.
slender fingers
a slender tower
Also used for objects, emphasizing a delicate, graceful thinness. Often used for fingers, necks, or tree branches.
Describes something long and straight, often with a sense of elegance. Commonly used for legs, bodies, or tall, thin objects.
Means 'supple' or 'flexible', but often implies a slender, graceful shape. Used for limbs, branches, or movements.
Describing a very small or narrow amount, such as a slim chance or a narrow victory.
Means 'faint' or 'slight', used for hopes, chances, or possibilities. It conveys a slender, barely perceptible amount.
a slender hope
Means 'a little' or 'slight', used for amounts, differences, or chances. It emphasizes the smallness of the quantity.
We won by a slender margin.
Literally 'paper-thin', used for very narrow differences or margins, often in dramatic contexts.
We lost by a slender margin.
ほっそり emphasizes a delicate, attractive thinness, often for women's bodies or graceful objects. 細長い simply describes something long and thin, without necessarily implying beauty. スレンダー is a modern loanword used mainly for women's figures in fashion or casual speech.
She is slender (graceful).
a long, narrow corridor
a slender model
Direct translations like 細い (ほそい) can sound negative, implying 'skinny' or 'thin' in an unattractive way. Use ほっそり or スレンダー for a positive, attractive slimness.
ほっそりした首
a slender neck
すらりとした脚
slender legs
a slender, tall tree
しなやかな枝
slender, supple branches