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Words Kanji Guides About

悲しい (かなしい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

悲かなしい

か

な

し

い

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

1

i-adjective

sad; unhappy; sorrowful

Describes a person's emotional state of sadness or grief.

彼かれはとても悲かなしい顔かおをしていた。
He had a very sad look on his face.
友とも達だちと別わかれるのは悲かな

しい

。

It's sad to part with a friend.

2

i-adjective

sad; lamentable; deplorable

Describes a situation, event, or thing that evokes sadness or regret.

事じ故このニュースは本ほん当とうに悲かなしい。
The news of the accident is truly sad.
こんな悲かなしい話はなしは聞きいたことがない。
I've never heard such a sad story.

Written forms

悲かなしいUsage87%
Standard kanji spelling for 'sad'.
哀かなしいUsage9%
Alternative kanji, often used for deep sorrow or pathos.
かなしいUsage4%
愛かなしい
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

Kanji

悲grieve, sad, deplore
哀pathetic, grief, sorrow
愛love, affection, favourite

Similar words

寂さびしい
寂しい means 'lonely' or 'desolate', focusing on the absence of people or warmth, while 悲しい is about emotional sadness.
辛つらい
辛い means 'painful' or 'hard to bear', often with a sense of suffering, whereas 悲しい is specifically about sadness.

Etymology

The word かなしい is a native Japanese adjective. The kanji 悲 is conventionally associated with sadness and grief.