甲高い・かん高い・疳高い|かんだかいkandakai[4]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
甲高い甲高い is the most common form and the recommended choice for beginners. It describes a high-pitched or shrill sound and is written with kanji followed by kana.
かん高いかん高い is a less common mixed kanji-and-kana variant of 甲高い, with the same meaning: high-pitched or shrill.
疳高い疳高い is a rarely used mixed kanji-and-kana variant of 甲高い. Learners will seldom need to choose it when writing about a high-pitched or shrill sound.
Definitions
- i-adjectivehigh-pitched; shrill
Conjugation
| Plain form | 甲高い（かんだかい） |
|---|---|
| Polite (desu) | 甲高いです（かんだかいです） |
| Negative (kunai) | 甲高くない（かんだかくない） |
| polite (ku arimasen) | 甲高くありません（かんだかくありません） |
| Past (katta) | 甲高かった（かんだかかった） |
| Past negative (kunakatta) | 甲高くなかった（かんだかくなかった） |
| Te form (kute) | 甲高くて（かんだかくて） |
| Adverbial (ku) | 甲高く（かんだかく） |
| Conditional (kereba) | 甲高ければ（かんだかければ） |
| kattara | 甲高かったら（かんだかかったら） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym甲走ったかんばしったWrittenWritten/formal and rare; like 「甲高い」 it describes a sharp, piercing voice, as in 「声が甲走った」.
- Related高いたかいNeutralThe everyday word for high; it can describe a high voice but carries no sense of shrillness or piercing quality.
- Related鋭いするどいNeutralMeans sharp or keen; it can describe a voice, but is more often used for blades, gazes, and senses.
- Related耳障りみみざわりWrittenWritten/formal; means grating or unpleasant to the ear, stressing discomfort rather than a high pitch.
- Related高調子たかちょうしWrittenWritten/formal and rare; refers to a high pitch or raising one's voice, stressing that the tone is high rather than sharp.
- RelatedけたたましいCasualColloquial; describes a sudden loud, noisy sound, typically alarms or ringing, stressing the din rather than the pitch.
- Antonym低いひくいNeutralThe everyday word for low; the direct opposite of 「甲高い」's high, sharp voice.
Use 「甲高い」 for a high, sharp voice, as in 「甲高い声」; for noisy alarms or ringing use 「けたたましい」, and for what sounds unpleasant 「耳障り」. 「高い」 is simply high without the shrillness, 「鋭い」 is sharpness in general, and 「甲走った」/「高調子」 are rare written alternatives.
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
