哀あわれ

あ

わ

れ

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

noun

pity; compassion; sorrow

A feeling of deep sympathy or sadness for someone's misfortune; often used in literary or emotional contexts.

彼かれの境きょう遇ぐうに哀あわれを感かんじた。
I felt pity for his circumstances.

na-adjective

pitiful; miserable; pathetic

Describes someone or something that evokes pity due to being wretched or helpless; can be used as a な-adjective.

捨すてられた子こ犬いぬが哀あわれだった。
The abandoned puppy was pitiful.
彼かれの哀あわれな姿すがたを見みて、涙なみだが出でた。
Seeing his miserable figure, tears came to my eyes.

interjection

alas; alack

An archaic or literary interjection expressing sorrow or regret; rarely used in modern conversation.

哀あわれ、すべては夢ゆめと消きえた。
Alas, everything vanished like a dream.

See all 47 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉を哀あわれに思おもうto feel pity for someone
彼かの女じょはその孤こ独どくな老ろう人じんを哀あわれに思おもった。
She felt pity for the lonely old man.
哀あわれな〈人ひと〉a pitiful person
哀あわれな少しょう年ねんは誰だれにも助たすけを求もとめられなかった。
The pitiful boy could ask no one for help.
哀あわれを感かんじるto feel a sense of pity or sorrow
その光こう景けいに深ふかい哀あわれを感かんじた。
I felt a deep sense of pity at that sight.
哀あわれな最さい期ごを迎むかえるto meet a pitiful end
彼かれはあまりに哀あわれな最さい期ごを迎むかえた。
He met a truly pitiful end.

Expressions

もののあわれmono no aware; pathos of things; sensitivity to ephemeral beauty

Kanji

哀pathetic, grief, sorrow
憐pity, have mercy, sympathise
憫anxiety, mercy

Related words· 8

同どう情じょうN1sense 1
同情 is a formal, objective term for sympathy, while 哀れ carries a deeper, more literary sense of pity or pathos.
かわいそうN3sense 2
可哀想 is the everyday, conversational word for 'poor thing' or 'pitiful', whereas 哀れ is more literary and can also denote the pitiful state itself.
憐れん憫びん sense 1
憐憫 is a stiff, written-register word for pity, while 哀れ is more emotionally evocative and used in both prose and speech.
惨みじめN2
哀れ emphasizes eliciting pity or compassion from others, while 惨め focuses on one's own painful, wretched feeling.

Show 4 more

情なさけないN2
哀れ centers on pity or compassion for someone's misfortune, while 情けない often adds a tone of contempt or self-directed disappointment.
可か憐れん
哀れ is the plain, direct word for 'pitiful', while 可憐's pitiable sense is rarer and sounds more literary or old-fashioned.
痛いたましいN1
哀れ can suggest pity mixed with a look of contempt or looking down on someone, whereas 痛ましい conveys pure, sympathetic sorrow without condescension.
不ふ憫びんN1
哀れ can describe the pitifulness of things as well as people and often carries a tone of deep sorrow or tragedy, while 不憫 is centered on feeling sorry for a person's plight.

Word family

哀あわれむN1
pity; feel sympathy for; have mercy on · enjoy the beauty of; appreciate; admire
哀あわれみ
pity; compassion
哀あわれ気げ
sad; sorrowful; pensive
物もの哀あわれ
somewhat pitiful; evoking pathos
哀あわれがる
feel sorry for; pity
哀あわれっぽい
plaintive; piteous; doleful

Written forms

哀れUsage64%
- あわれ
  Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
- あはれ
  out-dated reading
あわれUsage20%
Kana spelling; used when the kanji is avoided or for emphasis in literary contexts.
あはれUsage12%
out-dated reading
憐れUsage4%
- あわれ
  Alternate kanji spelling; less common and may carry a slightly more literary or classical feel.
- あはれ
  out-dated reading
憫れUsage<1%
- あわれ
  Very rare kanji spelling; not recommended for general use.
- あはれ
  out-dated reading

Etymology

Derived from the classical Japanese exclamation あはれ, which expressed deep emotion, including both sorrow and appreciation of beauty (mono no aware). The kanji 哀 and 憐 were later applied to represent the sorrowful aspect.