悲しい・哀しい・愛しい|かなしいkanashii[3]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
悲しい悲しい（かなしい） is the most common written form for “sad,” “miserable,” “unhappy,” or “sorrowful,” so it is the practical choice when writing this adjective.
哀しい哀しい（かなしい） is a less common written form with the same basic meaning; recognize it when you encounter it, but generally choose 悲しい（かなしい）.
愛しい愛しい（かなしい） is rarely used as a written form of this adjective, so learners will seldom need to choose it.
Definitions
- i-adjectivesad; miserable; unhappy; sorrowfulof a person
- i-adjectivesad; lamentable; deplorable; grievousof a thing, incident, etc.
Conjugation
| Plain form | 悲しい（かなしい） |
|---|---|
| Polite (desu) | 悲しいです（かなしいです） |
| Negative (kunai) | 悲しくない（かなしくない） |
| polite (ku arimasen) | 悲しくありません（かなしくありません） |
| Past (katta) | 悲しかった（かなしかった） |
| Past negative (kunakatta) | 悲しくなかった（かなしくなかった） |
| Te form (kute) | 悲しくて（かなしくて） |
| Adverbial (ku) | 悲しく（かなしく） |
| Conditional (kereba) | 悲しければ（かなしければ） |
| kattara | 悲しかったら（かなしかったら） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym悲痛ひつうWrittenWritten register. Intense, heartfelt grief, as in 「悲痛な叫び」; much stronger than 「悲しい」.
- Synonym物悲しいものがなしいWrittenWritten register. A faint, vague sadness with no identifiable cause, as in 「物悲しい秋」; more literary than 「悲しい」.
- Synonymうら悲しいうらがなしいWrittenWritten, with a poetic touch: a quiet, lingering sadness, as in 「うら悲しい夕暮れ」; more at home in descriptive writing than in casual chat.
- Related悲しげかなしげWrittenWritten register. Describes someone who looks sad, as in 「悲しげな顔」; portrays another person's expression rather than your own feeling.
- Related痛ましいいたましいWrittenWritten register. So distressing you want to look away, as in 「痛ましい事故」; typically used of accidents and disasters.
- Related気の毒きのどくNeutralNeutral. Feeling sorry for someone else's misfortune, as in 「お気の毒に」; about sympathy for others, not your own sadness.
- Related悲劇的ひげきてきWrittenWritten register. Tragic in the dramatic sense, as in 「悲劇的な結末」; describes events or fates, not a passing mood.
- Related哀れあわれWrittenWritten register. Pitiable or poignantly moving, as in 「哀れな姿」; tinged with pity, and can also name the feeling of sorrow itself.
- RelatedつらいNeutralNeutral. Painful and hard to endure, as in 「別れが辛い」; stresses the suffering you undergo rather than sadness itself.
- Related沈痛ちんつうWrittenWritten register. Grave, heavy-hearted sorrow, as in 「沈痛な面持ち」; belongs to formal occasions and serious statements.
- Related憂いうれいWrittenWritten register. A noun for sorrow tinged with worry, as in 「憂いを帯びた目」; blends sadness with anxiety.
- Related悲惨ひさんWrittenWritten register. Dire and heartbreaking, as in 「悲惨な事故」「悲惨な生活」; stresses how wretched the circumstances are.
- Related苦しいくるしいNeutralNeutral. Painful or distressing, and also hardship in life, as in 「生活が苦しい」; covers far more than sadness.
- Related惨めみじめWrittenWritten register. Wretched and pitiable, as in 「惨めな思い」; carries a nuance of humiliation.
- RelatedわびしいWrittenWritten register. Lonely, dreary and shabby, as in 「侘しい一人暮らし」; stresses bleak desolation rather than grief.
- RelatedトラジックCasualColloquial loanword for tragic; rarely heard in daily conversation and found mostly in commentary and reviews.
- Related不憫ふびんWrittenWritten register. Pitiable, as in 「不憫な子」; said mostly of the weak or unfortunate, not of your own feelings.
- Related哀れ気あわれげWrittenWritten register. Means looking sorrowful, like 「悲しげ」, but is rarer and more old-fashioned in flavor.
- Antonym嬉しいうれしいNeutralAntonym. Happy or glad, as in 「合格して嬉しい」; the direct opposite of 「悲しい」.
- Antonym楽しいたのしいNeutralAntonym. Fun and enjoyable, as in 「楽しい旅行」; the opposite of 「悲しい」 for pleasant times.
- Antonym喜ばしいよろこばしいWrittenWritten-register antonym. Joyous or welcome, as in 「喜ばしい知らせ」; describes pleasing news or events.
Plain sadness is 「悲しい」. For a faint, causeless melancholy pick 「物悲しい」; for pain you must endure, 「辛い」; for sympathy with someone's misfortune, 「気の毒」; for dreadful scenes, 「悲惨」 or 「痛ましい」; for bleak loneliness, 「侘しい」. Written words like 「悲しげ」「哀れ」「惨め」「悲痛」 add nuance—appearance, pity, wretchedness, deep grief—in formal prose, while 「嬉しい」 and 「楽しい」 are the everyday antonyms for being happy or having fun.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
