Usage patterns ささやかな 〈 物もの 〉 a modest/small〈thing〉 (e.g. gift, party)
It's just a small gift, but please accept it.
ささやかな 幸しあわ せ a small, humble happiness
Time spent with family is a modest happiness for me.
ささやかながら though it's small/modest
Modest as it is, we've arranged a small celebration.
ささやかな 夢ゆめ a modest dream/wish
Having a small shop of his own was his modest dream.
Related words 小さい is the general, neutral word for physically or numerically small, while ささやか adds a warm, modest, or humble nuance to something small in scale.
控えめ describes restrained or moderate behavior or quantity, whereas ささやか describes the inherent smallness or modesty of a thing itself.
わずか emphasizes that an amount is slight or barely enough, while ささやか often carries a gentler, more affectionate sense of smallness.
質素 describes a simple, unadorned lifestyle or style, while ささやか more broadly describes anything modest in scale, including gifts or events.
Opposites 盛大 describes something grand and lavish, the opposite of the modest, small-scale nuance of ささやか .
豪華 means luxurious and extravagant, contrasting with the humble, understated smallness of ささやか .
Written forms ささやか Usage 100%
Standard kana spelling; usually written in kana.
細ささ やか
Kanji form is rare; the word is usually written in kana. The kanji 細 suggests smallness or fineness.
Etymology Derived from the classical adjective ささやかなり , which originally meant 'small' or 'slight'. The exact derivation is uncertain, but it may be related to the reduplicated root ささ (small).
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