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儚い (はかない) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
i-adjective
fleeting ; transient ; ephemeral
usually written using kana alone
Describes something that passes quickly and cannot be held onto, often with a poetic or melancholic tone. Common with nouns like 命 (life), 夢 (dream), 恋 (love), and 世 (world).
Cherry blossoms scatter fleetingly.
2
i-adjective
empty ; vain ; faint
usually written using kana alone
Used for hopes, dreams, or possibilities that are insubstantial or unlikely to be realized. Often appears in phrases like 儚い望み (vain hope) or 儚い期待 (faint expectation).
Written forms 儚はかな い Usage 23%
Standard kanji form; the character 儚 carries the core meaning of transience.
はかない Usage 75%
Common kana spelling; usually written in kana.
果は 敢か ない Usage 2%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form.
果敢無はかな い
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
果無はかな い
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
Kanji 果 fruit, reward, carry out Similar words 短みじか い 短い simply means 'short' in duration or length, without the poetic or melancholic nuance of transience that 儚い carries.
虚むな しい 虚しい means 'empty' or 'futile' with a focus on lack of substance or meaning, whereas 儚い emphasizes fleetingness and fragility.
Etymology Derived from the verb はかなく (hakanaku), the adverbial form of classical はかなし (hakanashi). The kanji 儚 is a kokuji (Japanese-created character) combining 人 (person) and 夢 (dream), visually suggesting the fleeting nature of human dreams.
nothingness, none, ain't
