How to say "discouraging" in Japanese

• 心細いこころぼそいJLPT N1approx.Common
  i-adjectiveCovers the emotional sense: feeling helpless, forlorn, or hopeless when facing something with little support or hope of success. The common word of the three for a person's discouraged state of mind.
  彼かれが帰かえってきたのは、ホームシックにかかったからではなく、ふところが心細こころぼそくなったからである。↗

  He came back not because he was homesick, but because he was running short of money.
• 張り合いのないはりあいのない
  expression, i-adjectiveFits 'discouraging' in the sense of disappointing for lack of thrill. A less common word, and at best a marginal rendering of 'discouraging': its real meaning is 'lacking in thrill'.
• 牽制けんせい
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbCorresponds to 'discouraging (from doing)': checking, curbing, or restraining a person so as to keep them from acting. A less common noun meaning 'check' or 'restraint', not a word for something that feels discouraging.

Use 「心細い」 for the feeling of being helpless, forlorn, or hopeless; 「張り合いのない」 for something disappointing because it lacks thrill; and 牽制 for checking or curbing a person, discouraging them from doing something.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 心細いこころぼそいhelpless
• 張り合いのないはりあいのないdiscouraging
• 牽制けんせいcheck