How to say 'Thin' or 'Pale' in Japanese | 薄い

Wondering how to say 'Thin' or 'Pale' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Thin or Pale is 'Usui', written as 薄い in Japanese.'Thin' or 'Pale' in hiragana is うすい.

word

薄い

Meaning

Thin, Pale

Reading

うすい

usui

Kanji

薄Thin, Dilute

Explanation

The Japanese adjective '薄い (うすい)' has two primary meanings: 'thin' and 'pale'. When used to mean 'thin', it describes something with little thickness or density, such as a thin book or a thin layer of paint. For example: this paper is thin「この紙は薄い」(このかみはうすい). When used to mean 'pale', it describes something with a light or faint color, such as pale skin or a pale shade of blue. For example: her dress is pale pink「彼女のドレスは薄いピンクです」(かのじょのドレスはうすいピンクです). The context will usually make it clear which meaning is intended.

Part Of Speech

adjective

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

1658

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 薄い

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

薄

Meaning

Thin, Dilute

Hiragana in the Word 薄い

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

hiragana

い

Reading

Words Related to 薄い Through the Kanji 薄

These 3 Words contain the Kanji 薄 as well.

word

薄暗い

Meaning

Dim

word

薄める

Meaning

Dilute

word

薄着

Meaning

Light clothing

Learn the Word 薄い

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What does 'Usui' (薄い) mean?

'Usui' means 'Thin' or 'Pale' .

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