Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 の 憂う き 目め に 遭あ う to suffer the misfortune of ~ (e.g. losing one's job, defeat)
The company went bankrupt, and many employees suffered the misfortune of losing their jobs.
憂う き 目め を 味あじ わう to go through a bitter ordeal
In his youth, he went through the bitter experience of poverty.
Expressions 憂う き 目め を 見み る have a bitter experience; go through hardship Kanji 憂 melancholy, grieve, lament Related words 苦労 is an everyday word covering effort, trouble, or hardship in general, while 憂き目 specifically names an unfortunate experience one suffers and appears mainly in set literary phrases.
辛酸 is a literary term for bitter hardship typically paired with なめる , whereas 憂き目 is typically paired with 遭う or 見る .
災難 refers to the misfortune or calamity itself, while 憂き目 emphasizes the painful experience of undergoing that misfortune.
Don't confuse with 憂鬱 shares the kanji 憂 and means a gloomy, depressed mood, whereas 憂き目 refers to a specific bitter experience or misfortune one goes through.
憂き目 refers to a specific bitter or painful experience one has suffered, while 憂さ is a general feeling of gloom or melancholy, not tied to one event.
Written forms 憂う き 目め Usage 95%
Standard attested spelling; often used in set phrases such as 憂き目に遭う and 憂き目を見る .
憂うき 目め Usage 4%
search-only kanji form
It is a search-only kanji form; 憂き目 is the normal spelling.
うき 目め Usage 1%
search-only kanji form
This mixed kana-kanji spelling is search-only; it is useful for lookup but not the preferred form.
Etymology Analyzable as 憂き , an older attributive form meaning 'painful' or 'sorrowful,' plus 目 in the sense of an experience or situation; the compound literally suggests a painful experience.
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