悲かなしげ

か

な

し

げ

Meanings

sad-looking; seeming sad; with a sad air

Describes someone or something that appears sad, often used for facial expressions, eyes, or atmosphere. The suffix げ attaches to the adjective stem 悲し to mean 'seeming' or 'looking'.

彼かの女じょは悲かなしげな目めをしていた。
She had sad-looking eyes.
彼かれは悲かなしげにうつむいた。
He hung his head sadly.

See all 19 example sentences ›

Kanji

悲grieve, sad, deplore
哀pathetic, grief, sorrow
気spirit, mind, air

Related words

悲かなしい
悲しい is the adjective meaning 'sad', while 悲しげ describes the appearance of sadness, not necessarily the actual feeling.
寂さびしげ
寂しげ means 'lonely-looking', formed similarly with the suffix げ. 悲しげ focuses on sadness rather than loneliness.

Written forms

悲かなしげ
Standard kanji spelling; the most common form in modern Japanese.
哀かなしげ
Alternate kanji spelling using 哀, which carries a nuance of pathos or pity. Less common than 悲しげ.
悲かなし気げ
Rare kanji spelling using 気 instead of げ. The kana suffix げ is more standard.
哀かなし気げ
Rare alternate spelling combining 哀 and 気. Very uncommon.

Etymology

Formed from the adjective stem 悲し and the suffix げ, “appearance” or “sign of.” The suffix continues an older form related to 気, with voicing in suffixal use.