まばら・疎ら・疏らmabara[0]heiban (flat)

1. na-adjectivesparse; thin; scattered; straggling; sporadic
   ９月がつの海うみは、人ひとがまばらだね。↗

   In September, there are just a few people here and there on the beach.

• Synonym疎そWrittenWritten/formal prose word stressing wide spacing rather than density; also covers estranged relationships, and appears mostly in compounds like 「疎遠」.
• RelatedぱらぱらCasualColloquial mimetic word for things scattered sporadically; also describes rain sprinkling down and the sound of flipping through pages.
• Related散らばらちらばらNeutralRare word stressing things lying scattered here and there; carries a stronger sense of disorder than 「疎ら」.
• Antonym濃いこいNeutralDense in the sense of colour, flavour or hair being thick; stands at the opposite pole from sparse 「疎ら」.
• Antonym密みつNeutralDense and closely packed; also used for intimate relationships. The direct opposite of the sparse, gappy state 「疎ら」 describes.

Use 「疎ら」 for people or things that are sparse and widely spaced, as in 「客足がまばらだ」 or 「まばらな拍手」. For a colloquial, mimetic tone pick 「ぱらぱら」. The opposites are 「密」 and 「濃い」.

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

1. 物ものが少すくなく、隙間すきまのあるさま。
2. まとまりのないさま。