賢い (かしこい, kashikoi) Japanese meaning: wise | Kotomora

賢かしこい

か

し

こ

い

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

賢い · i-adjective

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	賢かしこい	賢かしこくない
Polite	賢かしこいです	賢かしこくないですalso 賢かしこくありません
Past polite	賢かしこかったです	賢かしこくなかったですalso 賢かしこくありませんでした
Past	賢かしこかった	賢かしこくなかった
Te-form	賢かしこくて	賢かしこくなくて
Adverbial	賢かしこく
Conditional	賢かしこければ	賢かしこくなければ
Tara conditional	賢かしこかったら	賢かしこくなかったら

Meanings

Describes a person, animal, or decision that shows intelligence, good judgment, or practical cleverness.

利り口こうN3sense 1
利口 also means clever, but often carries a shrewd or calculating nuance, while 賢い is a more neutral, positive term for wisdom or good judgment.
頭あたまがいいN5sense 1
頭がいい praises intellectual or academic ability specifically, whereas 賢い covers broader practical wisdom and sound judgment.
賢けん
賢 is an archaic, classical noun for wisdom or virtue, while 賢い is the everyday adjective used to describe a clever person or decision.
ワイズ
賢い is the everyday Japanese word for being wise or clever, while ワイズ is a katakana borrowing mostly seen in brand names or stylized phrases.

Show 5 more

発はつ明めいN3
賢い is the ordinary modern word for clever or smart, while 発明 in this sense is a dated way to describe a bright child or person.
インテリジェント
賢い is a common native adjective for 'clever/wise' used mainly for people and animals, whereas インテリジェント is a modern loanword often describing smart machines or software.
スマートN3
賢い describes general intelligence or wisdom, while スマート in this sense highlights a smooth, efficient, socially adept cleverness.
賢けん明めいN1
賢い is the everyday, general word for smart or clever, while 賢明 is a more formal term used to praise a specific prudent decision or attitude.

愚おろかN1sense 1
愚か means foolish or unwise, the direct opposite of 賢い's sense of good judgment and intelligence.
ばかN3sense 1
馬鹿 is a blunt, often insulting word for stupid, contrasting with the positive, respectful praise carried by 賢い.
馬ば鹿かげる
賢い describes something as smart or sensible, the direct opposite of 馬鹿げる, which describes something as foolish or absurd.

悪わる賢がしこいN1
賢い simply means smart or wise with a positive or neutral connotation, whereas 悪賢い adds the negative sense of using that intelligence for dishonest ends.

賢かしこいUsage85%
Standard kanji spelling for both senses.
かしこいUsage10%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially for the 'well-behaved' sense.
畏かしこいUsage4%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
カシコイUsage1%

Derived from classical Japanese かしこし, meaning 'awesome' or 'wise'. The kanji 賢 carries the meaning of intelligence and prudence.