Translation guide
Describes something long, thin, and weak-looking, like legs, arms, plants, or structures.
Describe something that is tall or long but very thin and fragile in appearance.
Most common and natural adjective for spindly, emphasizing disproportionate thinness and height.
彼はひょろ長い脚をしている。
He has spindly legs.
ひょろ長い植物が風に揺れている。
The spindly plant is swaying in the wind.
Means 'long and thin,' but lacks the weakness nuance. Use when the thinness is more neutral.
細長い指が鍵盤の上を走る。
Long, thin fingers run over the keyboard.
Emphasizes frail, delicate thinness, often used for limbs or voices. More literary.
か細い腕で重い荷物を持ち上げた。
She lifted the heavy luggage with her spindly arms.
Specifically describe legs, arms, or fingers that are long and thin, often suggesting weakness.
Colloquial phrase using the onomatopoeia ひょろひょろ, vividly depicting spindly, unsteady legs.
子鹿はひょろひょろの脚で立っていた。
The fawn stood on its spindly legs.
Standard adjective-noun combination for spindly legs.
あのモデルはひょろ長い脚が特徴だ。
That model is known for her spindly legs.
Describe a plant or tree that is tall and thin with weak stems or branches.
Works naturally for plants that are leggy or etiolated.
日当たりが悪いと、苗がひょろ長くなる。
If sunlight is insufficient, seedlings become spindly.
Technical gardening term for spindly growth due to lack of light. Use in horticultural contexts.
このトマトの苗は徒長している。
These tomato seedlings are spindly.
Describe writing or drawn lines that are thin, shaky, and weak-looking.
Describes thin, delicate handwriting that may appear weak.
彼のか細い字は読みにくい。
His spindly handwriting is hard to read.
Descriptive phrase meaning 'thin and unreliable lines,' capturing the spindly feel.
子供が描いた細くて頼りない線の絵。
A drawing with spindly lines done by a child.
ひょろ長い always implies a negative, weak, or comical thinness, while 細長い is neutral and simply describes a long, slender shape. Use ひょろ長い for spindly legs or plants; use 細長い for elegant, slender objects like a vase.
There is no single Japanese word that covers all uses of 'spindly.' Choose the expression based on what is being described (legs, plants, writing, etc.). Using 細長い alone may miss the weakness nuance.