辛からい

か

ら

い

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

i-adjective

spicy; hot

Describes food with a hot, pungent taste from chili peppers, wasabi, mustard, etc. Not used for temperature-related heat.

このカレーはとても辛からい。
This curry is very spicy.
わさびが辛からくて涙なみだが出でた。
The wasabi was so hot it made my eyes water.

i-adjective

salty

Used for food that is overly salty, often in a negative sense. Less common than しょっぱい in everyday speech.

このスープは少すこし辛からい。塩しおを入いれすぎたかもしれない。
This soup is a bit salty. I might have added too much salt.

i-adjective

harsh; severe; strict

Describes criticism, punishment, or judgment that is harsh or strict. Often used with words like 評価, 批判, 罰.

上じょう司しから辛からい評ひょう価かを受うけた。
I received a harsh evaluation from my boss.
彼かれの批ひ判はんはいつも辛からい。
His criticism is always severe.

i-adjective

painful; bitter; tough

Rare reading からい for the meaning usually read つらい. Appears in some contexts, but つらい is the standard modern reading for this sense. Cross-referenced with 辛い (つらい).

Written forms

辛からいUsage37%
Standard kanji spelling for the reading からい. Note that the same kanji can also be read つらい with a different meaning.
からいUsage63%
Kana spelling is common in informal writing and when the intended meaning is clear from context.

Kanji

辛spicy, bitter, hot

Similar words

しょっぱい
More common and colloquial for 'salty' than 辛い. 辛い can also mean 'spicy', while しょっぱい is only for saltiness.
つらい
Standard reading for 'painful, bitter, tough'. 辛い read as からい with this meaning is rare and often considered non-standard.

Etymology

The kanji 辛 originally depicts a tattoo needle or a tool for punishment, conveying the idea of sharpness or severity. The reading からい is native Japanese, and the word has been used since Old Japanese to describe pungent or harsh sensations.