哀あい愁しゅう

あ

い

しゅ

う

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

A somewhat literary noun for a deep, often quiet sadness or melancholy, especially one that evokes sympathy or aesthetic appreciation. Common in descriptions of art, music, scenery, or personal reflection.

彼かれの歌うた声ごえには深ふかい哀あい愁しゅうが漂ただよっていた。
A deep pathos hung in his singing voice.
秋あきの夕ゆう暮ぐれにはなんとも言いえない哀あい愁しゅうがある。
There is an indescribable sorrow in autumn evenings.

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Usage patterns

〈事こと〉に哀あい愁しゅうを感かんじるto feel a sense of pathos or melancholy in something
彼かれの後うしろ姿すがたに哀あい愁しゅうを感かんじた。
I felt a sense of pathos looking at his figure from behind.
哀あい愁しゅうを帯おびるto take on a tinge of pathos or melancholy
夕ゆう暮ぐれの街まちは哀あい愁しゅうを帯おびていた。
The town at dusk took on a melancholic air.
哀あい愁しゅうに満みちた〈物もの〉something filled with pathos or melancholy
哀あい愁しゅうに満みちたメロディーが流ながれていた。
A melody filled with pathos was playing.

Expressions

哀あい愁しゅう漂ただようsorrowful; melancholic; tinged with sadness

Kanji

哀pathetic, grief, sorrow
愁distress, grieve, lament

Related words

悲ひ哀あい
悲哀 stresses the pain of sorrow itself, while 哀愁 suggests a softer, lingering melancholy often tied to aesthetic or reflective feeling.
悲かなしみN3
悲しみ is the plain, everyday word for sadness, whereas 哀愁 is more literary and often evokes a quiet, wistful beauty rather than raw grief.
憂ゆう愁しゅう
憂愁 is an even more literary term for deep gloom or melancholy, while 哀愁 more often carries a gentle, aesthetically pleasing sadness.
ペーソス
哀愁 is a native Japanese word for a wistful, melancholic feeling, while ペーソス is a borrowed literary term for the same emotional quality often used in critical or artistic discussion.
嘆なげきN1
哀愁 describes a poetic, aesthetic sense of sorrow or pathos, while 嘆き denotes personal grief that is often voiced aloud.

Don't confuse with

郷きょう愁しゅうN1
郷愁 means nostalgia or homesickness for a place or past, while 哀愁 is a general sense of pathos or melancholy not tied to longing for home.

Etymology

Compound of 哀 (あい, 'sorrow, pity') and 愁 (しゅう, 'grief, melancholy'). The combination is a Sino-Japanese word (kango) that has been used in literary Japanese to express a refined, poignant sadness.