Word
可哀想
Meaning in Englishpitiable, poor, pathetic
Animated kanji stroke order
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)
Related words by kanji and components
N3
可
ka
acceptable, passable, possible
N3
可能
kanou
possible, feasible, practicable
N3
可愛らしい
kawairashii
lovely, cute, charming
N3
感想
kansou
impression, thoughts, personal opinion
N3
許可
kyoka
permission, approval, authorization
N3
理想
risou
ideal, perfect model
N3
連想
rensou
association of ideas
N3
想像
souzou
imagination, guess, mental creation
N3
可愛そう
kawaisou
poor, pitiable, pathetic