Learn Japanese while reading Manga with our new Manga Reader Tool!

Nihongo

Classroom

How to say 'Sad' in Japanese | 悲しい

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

The Japanese word for Sad is 'Kanashii', written as 悲しい in Japanese.'Sad' in hiragana is かなしい.

    Meaning

    Sad

    Reading

    かなしい

    kanashii

    Kanji

    Sad

    Explanation

    The Japanese adjective '悲しい (かなしい)' means 'sad'. It is used to describe a feeling of sorrow, unhappiness, or grief. This word can be applied to situations, events, or personal emotions. For example: I feel sad「私は悲しい」(わたしはかなしい). That movie was sad「その映画は悲しかった」(そのえいがはかなしかった). It can also be used to describe something that evokes sadness, such as a sad story「悲しい話」(かなしいはなし). The nuance of '悲しい' often implies a deeper, more emotional sadness compared to other words like '寂しい (さびしい)', which can mean 'lonely' or 'lonesome'.

    Part Of Speech

    adjective

    Kanji JLPT

    N3

    Kanji Grade

    3

    Frequency

    2365

    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 悲しい

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Sad

Hiragana in the Word 悲しい

This word contains 2 Hiragana characters :

  • hiragana

    Reading

    Shi
  • hiragana

    Reading

    I

Words Related to 悲しい Through the Kanji

These 5 Words contain the Kanji 悲 as well.

  • word

    悲しむ

    Meaning

    Grieve

  • word

    悲しみ

    Meaning

    Sadness

  • word

    悲鳴

    Meaning

    Scream

  • word

    悲劇

    Meaning

    Tragedy

  • word

    悲惨

    Meaning

    Misery

Learn the Word 悲しい

Let's make sure you fully understand this word.

What does 'Kanashii' (悲しい) mean?

'Kanashii' means 'Sad' .

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