Word
可哀想
Meaning in Englishpitiable, poor, pathetic
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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)
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