godan verb (-ru), transitive verb
feel sorry for; pity
Archaic transitive verb. In modern Japanese, 哀れむ (あわれむ) or 気の毒に思う are more common. Found in classical texts.
昔話では、貧しい人を哀れがる心が美徳とされた。
In old tales, feeling sorry for the poor was considered a virtue.
古典文学には、弱者を哀れがる場面がよく出てくる。
Scenes of pitying the weak often appear in classical literature.