心こころ密ひそかに

こ

ろ

ひ

そ

か

に

Meanings

1

adverb

inwardly; secretly; in one's heart

Describes thoughts or feelings held privately, without outward expression. Often used for emotions like gratitude, resolve, or amusement that one keeps to oneself.

彼かれは心こころ密ひそかに彼かの女じょに感かん謝しゃしてい

た

。

He was secretly grateful to her.

心こころ密ひそかに笑わらいをこらえた。

I inwardly stifled a laugh.

Kanji

心heart, mind, spirit
密secrecy, density (pop), minuteness

Related words

密ひそかに
密かに means 'secretly' in a general sense, often implying hidden actions. 心密かに specifically emphasizes an internal, unexpressed thought or feeling.
内ない心しん
内心 is a noun meaning 'inner thoughts' or 'in one's heart', often used in phrases like 内心では. 心密かに is an adverb describing the manner of thinking or feeling secretly.

Built from

心こころ+密ひそか

Written forms

心こころ密ひそかに
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling.
心こころひそかに
Variant with 密か in kana; less common but still used.

Etymology

Compound of 心 (こころ, 'heart, mind') and 密か (ひそか, 'secret'), with adverbial inflection に. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used since classical Japanese to express hidden inner feelings.