also: せまし · せし · さし
ku-adjective (archaic)
Archaic -ku adjective (modern 狭い). Used in classical Japanese texts. The reading せばし is the most common form.
古歌に「世の中は狭しと思へど」とある。
An old poem says, 'Though I think the world is narrow...'
shiku-adjective (archaic)
Only with reading せばし
Archaic -shiku adjective form, restricted to the reading せばし. Functionally equivalent to sense 1 but with a different classical conjugation pattern.
「せばし」はシク活用としても用いられた。
'Sebashi' was also used as a shiku-conjugation adjective.
Modern equivalent meaning 'narrow' or 'cramped'. 狭し is the archaic form used in classical Japanese.
Classical Japanese adjective. The root is related to modern 狭い (せまい). The various readings (せばし, せまし, せし, さし) reflect historical sound changes and dialectal variations.