侘
proud, lonely
Readings
On'yomi
- タ
Kun'yomi
- わび.しい
- ほこ.る
- わ.びる
Meaning
侘 centers on a solitary state of mind: feeling lonely or isolated, and the quiet pride or self-possession that can accompany that solitude.
Most common words using 侘
- 侘びわび
taste for the simple and quiet; rustic simplicity; austere refinement; wabi
- 侘しいわびしい
miserable; wretched; lonely; dreary; shabby; comfortless
- 侘と寂わびとさび
taste for the simple and quiet; wabi and sabi
- 侘びるわびる
to be worried; to be grieved; to pine for
- 侘び寂びわびさび
wabi-sabi; aesthetic sense in Japanese art centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection
- 侘ぶわぶ
to be worried; to be grieved; to pine for
- 侘ぶるわぶる
to be worried; to be grieved
- 侘住いわびずまい
solitary life; wretched abode
Study
Etymology
侘 combines 亻 (person) with 宅, which likely contributes the sound タ. The exact historical development of the meaning is uncertain, but the character is associated with a person in a state of lonely pride.
Meaning mnemonic
A person 亻 standing alone beside a house 宅, feeling both lonely and quietly proud of their independence.
Reading mnemonic
For タ, imagine a lonely person tapping on the door of an empty house: tap -> タ, and the sound echoes their solitude.