哀れむ
哀れむ · godan verb (-mu)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 哀れむ | 哀れまない |
| Polite | 哀れみます | 哀れみません |
| Past polite | 哀れみました | 哀れみませんでした |
| Past | 哀れんだ | 哀れまなかった |
| Te-form | 哀れんで | 哀れまないで |
| Desire | 哀れみたい | 哀れみたくない |
| Potential | 哀れめる | 哀れめない |
| Passive | 哀れまれる | 哀れまれない |
| Causative | 哀れませる | 哀れませない |
| Causative passive | 哀れませられるalso 哀れまされる | 哀れませられないalso 哀れまされない |
| Volitional | 哀れもう | |
| Polite volitional | 哀れみましょう | |
| Imperative | 哀れめ | 哀れむな |
| Conditional | 哀れめば | 哀れまなければ |
| Tara conditional | 哀れんだら | 哀れまなかったら |
Meanings
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
pity; feel sympathy for; have mercy on
Expresses compassion or pity toward someone's misfortune or suffering. Often used in literary or formal contexts.
He pitied the poor people and made a donation.
Hearing that story, everyone felt sympathy for her.
godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
enjoy the beauty of; appreciate; admire
Only when written 哀れむ
Poetic use, restricted to the kanji spelling 哀れむ. Expresses a refined appreciation of beauty, often tinged with a sense of pathos or mono no aware.
The heart that appreciates the beauty of an autumn evening has been sung in waka since ancient times.
Usage patterns
- 〈人〉を哀れむto pity someone
He felt pity for the poor.
- 〈物〉を哀れむto admire something with a sense of pathos (mono no aware)
Many poems were composed admiring the autumn moon with a touch of pathos.
- 〈人〉の運命を哀れむto pity someone's fate/circumstances
She wept, pitying the protagonist's fate.