痛々しい・傷々しい|いたいたしいitaitashii[5]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
痛々しい痛々しい（いたいたしい） is the most common written form and the form learners should use in general writing for this meaning.
傷々しい傷々しい（いたいたしい） is a less common written variant and is rarely used; you may encounter it, but 痛々しい（いたいたしい） is the safer choice.
Definitions
- i-adjectivepitiful; pathetic; painful (to look at)
Conjugation
| Plain form | 痛々しい（いたいたしい） |
|---|---|
| Polite (desu) | 痛々しいです（いたいたしいです） |
| Negative (kunai) | 痛々しくない（いたいたしくない） |
| polite (ku arimasen) | 痛々しくありません（いたいたしくありません） |
| Past (katta) | 痛々しかった（いたいたしかった） |
| Past negative (kunakatta) | 痛々しくなかった（いたいたしくなかった） |
| Te form (kute) | 痛々しくて（いたいたしくて） |
| Adverbial (ku) | 痛々しく（いたいたしく） |
| Conditional (kereba) | 痛々しければ（いたいたしければ） |
| kattara | 痛々しかったら（いたいたしかったら） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- SynonymかわいそうNeutralThe most common everyday word for 'poor thing'. 「痛々しい」 stresses that the sight itself — wounds, how someone looks — makes your heart ache.
- Synonym痛ましいいたましいWrittenWritten-style word for tragic events that break your heart, as in 「痛ましい事故」. 「痛々しい」 typically describes a person's appearance.
- Synonym気の毒きのどくNeutralNeutral word for feeling sorry over someone's misfortune; also used in polite set phrases. 「痛々しい」 focuses on the pitiful sight itself.
- Synonym哀れあわれWrittenWritten word for pity and sorrow that also carries a poignant, evocative nuance. 「痛々しい」 stresses a sight that makes you wince with sympathy.
- Synonymお気の毒おきのどくFormalFormal set phrase for expressing sympathy or regret to someone, as in condolences. 「痛々しい」 simply describes how pained something looks.
- Synonym不憫ふびんWrittenWritten word for pitiable, evoking tenderness; often said of children or the weak. 「痛々しい」 centers on the outward, painful-looking state.
- Related無残むざんWrittenDescribes scenes too horrible to watch, and by extension cruelty or brutality. 「痛々しい」 is milder in degree and carries a note of sympathy.
- Related涙ぐましいなみだぐましいWrittenDescribes efforts so devoted they move you to tears, as in 「涙ぐましい努力」. 「痛々しい」 is about a sight that makes your heart ache.
- Related情けないなさけないNeutralMeans pathetic or disgraceful, often said of oneself in self-reproach. 「痛々しい」 is about something that pains you to look at.
- Related浅ましいあさましいWrittenSuggests something base, shameful or wretched. 「痛々しい」 carries no sense of baseness — only heartache at what you see.
- RelatedいじましいCasualColloquial word for stingy, shabby behavior, or for something touchingly endearing; not used very often.
- RelatedいたわしいWrittenWritten word close in sense to 「痛々しい」 — heart-rending, pitiable — but now rather old-fashioned.
For plain 'poor thing', use 「かわいそう」 or 「気の毒」. Use 「痛々しい」 when the sight itself makes your heart ache, 「痛ましい」 for tragic events, 「無残」 for scenes too gruesome to watch, and 「情けない」 for something shameful.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
