惜しむ|おしむoshimu[2]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Definitions
- godan verb, transitive verbto spare; to grudge; to be sparing (with); to be frugal; to be stingy
- godan verb, transitive verbto regret; to lament
- godan verb, transitive verbto be reluctant (to do); to be unwilling
- godan verb, transitive verbto value; to prize; to hold dear
- godan verb, transitive verbto love; to cherishoft. written as 愛しむ
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 惜しむ（おしむ） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 惜しみます（おしみます） |
| Negative (nai) | 惜しまない（おしまない） |
| polite (masen) | 惜しみません（おしみません） |
| classical zu / nu | 惜しまず・惜しまぬ（おしまず・おしまぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 惜しんだ（おしんだ） |
| polite (mashita) | 惜しみました（おしみました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 惜しまなかった（おしまなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 惜しみませんでした（おしみませんでした） |
| Te form | 惜しんで（おしんで） |
| Potential | 惜しめる（おしめる） |
| Passive | 惜しまれる（おしまれる） |
| Causative | 惜しませる（おしませる） |
| Causative passive | 惜しませられる・惜しまされる（おしませられる・おしまされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 惜しめば（おしめば） |
| tara | 惜しんだら（おしんだら） |
| Volitional | 惜しもう（おしもう） |
| polite (mashou) | 惜しみましょう（おしみましょう） |
| Imperative | 惜しめ（おしめ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Related悔やむくやむNeutralFor regret or remorse over one's own actions, also for mourning the dead, as in 「失敗を悔やむ」; 「惜しむ」 is about being reluctant to part with something or lamenting a loss.
- Related悔いるくいるWrittenWritten/formal prose: to repent, as in 「罪を悔いる」; stresses reflecting on one's own wrongdoing.
- Related思い残すおもいのこすNeutralTo leave things undone and regret it; mostly used in the negative, as in 「思い残すことはない」.
- RelatedうらむWrittenWritten/formal prose for feeling regret. When written 「恨む」, it means to resent or bear a grudge; here it takes the regret sense.
- Related悔恨かいこんWrittenA noun used in written/formal prose for remorse, as in 「悔恨の念」; heavier in degree than 「惜しむ」.
- Related惜しがるおしがるNeutralTo show or appear to feel regret; tends to describe other people rather than oneself.
- Related無念がるむねんがるWrittenWritten/formal prose: to show regret and frustration over what one did or failed to do; describes others' visible feelings.
- Related残念に思うざんねんにおもうNeutralTo feel regret or disappointment, as in 「中止を残念に思う」; a fairly objective statement of disappointment.
- Related残念がるざんねんがるNeutralTo appear regretful about an outcome; describes a third person's visible disappointment.
- Antonym惜しまないNeutralThe negative form: not to grudge or spare something; the opposite of the reluctant-to-part sense of 「惜しむ」, as in 「努力を惜しまない」.
- Antonym惜しげもなく与えるWrittenWritten/formal prose: to give without stinting; the opposite of the grudging, stingy sense of 「惜しむ」.
Use 「惜しむ」 for being reluctant to part with something, sparing it, or lamenting a loss, as in 「別れを惜しむ」 and 「時間を惜しむ」. For regret over one's own actions use 「悔やむ」, and for disappointment use 「残念に思う」. The opposite is 「惜しまない」, as in 「努力を惜しまない」.
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
