悲(かな)しい

悲(かな)しい is an i-adjective expressing sadness, sorrow, or grief.

Usage

悲(かな)しい modifies a noun directly (悲(かな)しい顔(かお), "a sad face") and predicates at the end of a sentence. The adverb 悲(かな)しく feeds verbs of change (悲(かな)しくなる, "to grow sad"), while the -て form 悲(かな)しくて marks a cause (悲(かな)しくて泣(な)く, "to cry from sadness"). To express grieving as an action, use the verb 悲(かな)しむ.
悲(かな)しい describes emotional sadness and grief, while 寂(さび)しい focuses more on loneliness or missing someone/something.

Forms

• Verb: 悲(かな)しむ (to feel sad, to grieve)
• Noun: 悲(かな)しみ (sadness, sorrow)
• Adverb: 悲(かな)しく (sadly)

Common expressions

• 悲(かな)しい気持(きも)ち: sad feelings
• 悲(かな)しい知(し)らせ: sad news
• 悲(かな)しい顔(かお): sad face
• 悲(かな)しくなる: to become sad
• 悲(かな)しくて泣(な)く: to cry from sadness

Kanji compounds

• 悲劇(ひげき): tragedy
• 悲惨(ひさん): miserable, tragic
• 悲観(ひかん): pessimism
• 悲報(ひほう): sad news

Similar words

• 寂(さび)しい: lonely, lonesome
• 切(せつ)ない: painful, heartrending
• 哀(あわ)れ: pitiful, pathetic