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How to say 'Regrettable' in Japanese | 惜しい

Wondering how to say 'Regrettable' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Regrettable is 'Oshii', written as 惜しい in Japanese.'Regrettable' in hiragana is おしい.

    Meaning

    Regrettable

    Reading

    おしい

    oshii

    Kanji

    Regret, Frugal

    Explanation

    The Japanese adjective '惜しい (おしい)' primarily means 'regrettable' or 'a pity'. It is used to express a sense of regret or disappointment over something that is almost good enough, nearly successful, or just missed. It can also imply that something is valuable or precious and thus its loss or absence is felt deeply. For example: It's regrettable that you can't come「あなたが来られないのは惜しい」(あなたがこられないのはおしい). That was a close call, it's a pity you missed it「惜しい、もう少しで成功だった」(おしい、もうすこしでせいこうだった). The word can also be used to express reluctance to part with something due to its value, as in 'This book is too good to throw away, it's a pity to discard it'「この本は捨てるには惜しい」(このほんはすてるにはおしい).

    Part Of Speech

    adjective

    Kanji JLPT

    N1

    Kanji Grade

    8

    Frequency

    4801

    Composition

    kanji-hiragana

    Handwriting

This word is an i-adjective. To learn how it transforms in different tenses and forms, explore all its conjugations.

Kanji in the Word 惜しい

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Regret, Frugal

Hiragana in the Word 惜しい

This word contains 2 Hiragana characters :

  • hiragana

    Reading

    Shi
  • hiragana

    Reading

    I

Words Related to 惜しい Through the Kanji

This Word contains the Kanji 惜 as well.

  • word

    惜しむ

    Meaning

    Regret

Learn the Word 惜しい

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What does 'Oshii' (惜しい) mean?

'Oshii' means 'Regrettable' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.