心こころ密ひそかに

こ

ろ

ひ

そ

か

に

Meanings

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.