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うっすら (ussura) Japanese meaning: slightly | Kotomora
JLPT N1 › Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Conjugation うっすらする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'
Form Positive Negative Dictionary うっすらする うっすらしない Polite うっすらします うっすらしません Past polite うっすらしました うっすらしませんでした Past うっすらした うっすらしなかった Te-form うっすらして うっすらしないで Desire うっすらしたい うっすらしたくない Potential うっすらできる うっすらできない Passive うっすらされる うっすらされない Causative うっすらさせる うっすらさせない Causative passive うっすらさせられる うっすらさせられない Volitional うっすらしよう Polite volitional うっすらしましょう Imperative うっすらしろ うっすらするな Conditional うっすらすれば うっすらしなければ Tara conditional うっすらしたら うっすらしなかったら
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山やま の 頂ちょう 上じょう に 雪ゆき が うっすら と 積つ もっ て い た 。
A thin layer of snow had accumulated on the mountain top.
I only faintly remember him.
Usage patterns うっすら 覚おぼ えている to vaguely/faintly remember something
I faintly remember what happened that day.
うっすら 見み える to be faintly visible
The mountain is faintly visible through the fog.
うっすら 雪ゆき が 積つ もる for snow to lightly accumulate
This morning, a thin layer of snow had settled in the yard.
うっすらと 化け 粧しょう をする to apply light/subtle makeup
She was only wearing light makeup.
うっすら 汗あせ をかく to break into a light sweat
Just exercising a little made me break into a light sweat.
Kanji 薄 dilute, thin, weak (tea) Related words ほんのり and うっすら both mean 'faintly, slightly', but ほんのり often suggests a pleasant, warm nuance (a faint blush or aroma) while うっすら is neutral and can describe cold or negative faintness too.
微か is a na-adjective meaning 'faint, slight' used to describe barely perceptible sounds, light, or feelings, while うっすら is an adverb describing the manner in which something is faintly done or perceived.
薄い is an adjective meaning 'thin' or 'pale', while うっすら is an adverb describing a slight degree, so うっすら often modifies verbs where 薄い would describe a noun.
Opposites はっきり means 'clearly, distinctly', the opposite of うっすら, which describes something faint or barely perceptible.
Don't confuse with うすうす sounds similar to うっすら and also means 'vaguely, dimly' but is used specifically for a vague awareness or suspicion (うすうす気づく), whereas うっすら describes a physical or sensory faintness (light, memory, layer).
Written forms うっすら Usage 92%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 薄ら and 薄っすら are rare and irregular.
薄う っすら Usage 6%
irregular okurigana
Irregular okurigana usage; rarely encountered.
薄うっす ら Usage 2%
Rare kanji spelling; the okurigana is irregular and not standard.
Etymology Derived from the adjective 薄い (usui, 'thin') with an emphatic or adverbial suffix. The exact derivation is uncertain, but it is a native Japanese word.
