fine thread; hempen cord
Abbreviation of 細引き or 細糸; refers to thin string or cord, especially hemp. Used in contexts like crafting or tying.
This fine thread is made of hemp.
Prefix used in compounds to indicate thinness, narrowness, or weakness. Not a standalone adjective.
Only with reading ぼそ
Suffix read as ぼそ, indicating narrowness or thinness. Attaches to nouns, e.g., 道細 (みちぼそ, narrow road).
Walking along the narrow path, I found a small shrine.
He lifted the heavy luggage with his slender arms.
This area has many narrow roads, making it hard to enter by car.
太 as a prefix means thick/large (太字, 太もも), while 細 as a prefix means thin/slender (細字, 細身), forming the opposite pair.
narrow blade; slender blade · slender; thin; slim
long and narrow; slender
poor (living); bare subsistence · barely continuing; just scraping along · very narrow; extremely thin
make narrow; narrow
dwindling; declining; diminishing · tapering to a point; narrowing
superfine; extra-fine; extremely thin · extra-fine woollen yarn
narrow path; narrow lane
thin strips; julienne
get thin; become slender; taper off
The kanji 細 means 'thin' or 'fine'. The reading ほそ is the stem of the adjective 細い (ほそい). The suffix reading ぼそ is a voiced variant (rendaku).
thin; skinny; slender · delicate; fragile; feeble
thin; slender; fine · unlucky
thinnish; somewhat narrow
medium-fine; medium pointed
narrow in the middle; something narrow in the middle · mallet
tapering toward the end; narrowing at the tip
narrow-mouthed; having a small opening · topmouth gudgeon; Pseudorasbora parva · barracuda
frugal customer; poor spender
narrow obi; narrow kimono sash
twig; thin branch; wand
thin-necked shamisen