悲ひ哀あい

ひ

あ

い

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

sorrow; grief; sadness

A somewhat literary or formal noun for deep, often quiet sadness or pathos, more abstract than everyday words like 悲しみ.

彼かれの人じん生せいには深ふかい悲ひ哀あいが漂ただよっている。
A deep sorrow hangs over his life.
その映えい画がは人にん間げんの悲ひ哀あいを描えがいている。
That film depicts human grief.

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Usage patterns

人じん生せいの悲ひ哀あいを味あじわうto experience the sorrows of life
彼かれは若わかい頃ころから人じん生せいの悲ひ哀あいを味あじわってきた。
He has known the sorrows of life since he was young.
悲ひ哀あいを感かんじるto feel a deep sorrow
その老ろう人じんの姿すがたに悲ひ哀あいを感かんじた。
I felt a deep sorrow at the sight of the old man.
〈事こと〉に悲ひ哀あいが漂ただようfor a sense of sorrow to hang over something
その物もの語がたりには悲ひ哀あいが漂ただよっている。
A sense of sorrow hangs over the story.

Kanji

悲grieve, sad, deplore
哀pathetic, grief, sorrow

Related words

悲かなしみN3
悲しみ is the everyday word for sadness, while 悲哀 is a more literary, abstract term for deep or existential sorrow.
哀あい愁しゅう
哀愁 describes a wistful, nostalgic kind of sadness, whereas 悲哀 refers more broadly to profound grief or pathos.
哀あい感かん
哀感 is a literary term for a pervading feeling of sorrow or pathos, very close to 悲哀 but used more for an atmosphere or tone.
悲ひ嘆たん
悲嘆 emphasizes lamenting or grieving aloud over a loss, while 悲哀 is a quieter, more contemplative sorrow.
ペーソス
悲哀 refers to sorrow or grief itself, whereas ペーソス emphasizes the pathos-evoking quality of a work or scene rather than the raw emotion.

Opposites

喜よろこびN3
喜び (joy) is the direct opposite of 悲哀 (sorrow) in describing life's emotional extremes.

Don't confuse with

哀あい悼とう
哀悼 specifically means mourning or condolence for someone's death, while 悲哀 is a general term for sorrow not tied to a death.

Etymology

A Sino-Japanese compound of 悲 (sad, mournful) and 哀 (sorrow, pity). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination has been used in literary Japanese to express deep, often philosophical sadness.