Skip to content
Kotomora

寂

loneliness, quietly, mellow, mature, death of a priest

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes11

Readings

On'yomi

  • ジャク
  • セキ

Kun'yomi

  • さび
  • さび.しい
  • さび.れる
  • さみ.しい

Meaning

寂 centers on a quiet, subdued state of being alone or still: loneliness, quietness, mellow maturity, and the solemn passing of a priest all share this sense of deep, calm isolation.

Most common words using 寂

20 of 45
  • 寂しいさびしい
    N5

    lonely; lonesome; solitary; desolate

  • 静寂せいじゃく
    N1

    silence; stillness; quietness

  • 寂れるさびれる

    to decline (in prosperity); to become deserted; to become desolate

  • 寂さび

    patina; antique look

  • 寂しげさびしげ

    seeming lonely

  • 寂寥せきりょう

    loneliness; desolateness

  • 寂然せきぜん

    lonely; desolate

  • 寂しささびしさ
    N2

    (feeling of) loneliness; desolation

  • うら寂しいうらさびしい

    lonesome; lonely; forlorn

  • 侘と寂わびとさび

    taste for the simple and quiet; wabi and sabi

  • 侘び寂びわびさび

    wabi-sabi; aesthetic sense in Japanese art centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection

  • 入寂にゅうじゃく

    death of a priest; nirvana; spiritual liberty

  • 円寂えんじゃく

    nirvana; death of the Buddha

  • 口が寂しいくちがさびしい

    craving for food, a cigarette, etc.; longing to have something in one's mouth

  • 口寂しいくちさびしい

    craving for food, a cigarette, etc.; longing to have something in one's mouth

  • 和敬清寂わけいせいじゃく

    harmony, respect, purity and tranquility; the four most important elements of the tea ceremony

  • 寂じゃく

    (entering into) nirvana

  • 寂々せきせき

    sad; lonesome; desolate

  • 寂しがり屋さびしがりや

    person who gets lonely easily; person who does not like to be alone; person who craves company

  • 寂しがるさびしがる

    to miss someone; to miss something; to feel lonely

Explore all words using 寂 →

Study

Etymology

寂 combines 宀 (roof, building) with 叔, which likely contributes the sound. The compound originally suggested a quiet, still interior, extending to loneliness and solemnity.

Meaning mnemonic

Under a roof 宀, the lower part 叔 looks like a person sitting quietly alone. Picture a solitary figure in a silent house, feeling the deep calm of loneliness.

Reading mnemonic

For ジャク, imagine a jack-o'-lantern sitting alone under the roof, its quiet glow filling the empty room: jack -> ジャク, and the stillness matches the lonely mood.