1.
pitiful, pathetic
Deserving of pity or sympathy due to misfortune.
哀れな姿だった。
It was a pitiful sight.
哀れな声で助けを求めた。
He called for help in a pitiful voice.
雨に濡れた子犬が哀れだった。
The rain-soaked puppy was pitiful.
2.
sad, touching, moving
Evoking feelings of sadness or deep emotion.
哀れな物語だ。
It's a sad story.
秋の夕暮れは哀れを感じさせる。
Autumn evenings make one feel a touching sadness.
散りゆく桜に哀れな美しさを見た。
I saw a poignant beauty in the falling cherry blossoms.
3.
pity, pathos
A feeling of sympathy or sorrow (as a noun).
哀れに思う。
To feel pity.
哀れを誘う話だった。
It was a story that evoked pity.
彼の境遇に哀れを催さずにはいられなかった。
I couldn't help but feel compassion for his circumstances.
哀れ expresses pity, pathos, or a touching sadness.
FORMS:
- Na-adjective: 哀れな (pitiful)
- Noun: 哀れ (pity, pathos)
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 哀れに思う (to feel pity)
- 哀れを誘う (to evoke pity)
- 哀れを催す (to feel compassion)
CULTURAL NOTE:
- もののあわれ (物の哀れ): a key concept in Japanese aesthetics meaning "the pathos of things" - sensitivity to the ephemeral nature of beauty