Word
可哀想
Meaning in Englishpitiable, poor, pathetic
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
Related sentences
Related sentences
There are no published items in this section yet.
Word context
What it means
可哀想 means pitiful or unfortunate, deserving sympathy. It describes someone or something that evokes compassion and a sense of concern in the listener.
Main meanings
- Pitiful or pitiable; deserving pity
- Describing a person or situation that invites sympathy or concern
- In phrases like 可哀想に, it conveys a sense of sadness or pity
How to use it
Used as a na-adjective in predicative position (彼は可哀想だ) and before nouns (可哀想な子). It spans casual to neutral contexts; 可哀想に is the empathetic adverbial form; care is needed when directed at people as it can sound patronizing depending on tone and relationship.
Variants and close terms
- 気の毒だ (きのどくだ) - pitiful, unfortunate
- 哀れだ (あわれだ) - miserable, pitiable
- かわいそう (kawaisou) - the same word in kana, common in casual speech
- 可哀想な (kawaisou na) - form used before nouns
Composition
- 可: prefix meaning worthy of or appropriate for
- 哀: sorrow, pity; central emotional component
- 想: thought/feeling; completes the concept of pity as an emotional response
Word class
na-adjective (形容動詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
構想
kousou
plan, plot, idea, conception
N1
愛想
aisou
sociability
N1
不可欠
fukaketsu
indispensable, essential
N2
可決
kaketsu
approval, adoption (e.g., motion, bill), passage
N2
可愛がる
kawaigaru
to love, to be affectionate
N2
空想
kuusou
daydream, fantasy
N2
発想
hassou
idea; way of thinking (same as 考え方 (かんがえかた))
N3
思想
shisou
thought, idea, ideology
N3
哀れ
aware
pity, pathetic, miserable
Kanji