甲 高(かんだか)い

かんだかい

i-adjective

shrill, high-pitched

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	甲高(かんだか)い	甲高(かんだか)くない
Past	甲高(かんだか)かった	甲高(かんだか)くなかった
て form	甲高(かんだか)くて	甲高(かんだか)くなくて
Adverbial	甲高(かんだか)く	—
Conditional ば	甲高(かんだか)ければ	甲高(かんだか)くなければ
Conditional たら	甲高(かんだか)かったら	甲高(かんだか)くなかったら

1. shrill, high-pitched, piercing

Describes a sound that is unpleasantly sharp and high in pitch. Used for voices, screams, laughter, and other sounds that stand out because of their sharp, piercing quality.

甲高(かんだか)い声(こえ)が聞(き)こえた。

I heard a shrill voice.

子(こ)どもたちの甲高(かんだか)い笑(わら)い声(ごえ)が公園(こうえん)に響(ひび)いていた。

The children's shrill laughter echoed through the park.

隣(となり)の部屋(へや)から甲高(かんだか)い悲鳴(ひめい)が聞(き)こえてきたので、慌(あわ)てて様子(ようす)を見(み)に行(い)った。

I heard a piercing scream from the next room, so I rushed to check what was going on.

Usage

Almost exclusively used to describe sounds, especially voices and screams. Carries a slightly negative connotation — the sound is not just high, but piercingly so.

Forms

Adverbial: 甲高(かんだか)く
Noun form: not commonly used

Common collocations

甲高(かんだか)い声(こえ) (shrill voice)
甲高(かんだか)い笑(わら)い声(ごえ) (shrill laughter)
甲高(かんだか)い悲鳴(ひめい) (piercing scream)
甲高(かんだか)く叫(さけ)ぶ (to scream shrilly)

Similar words

高(たか)い: high (general — pitch, height, price; neutral in tone)
鋭(するど)い: sharp, keen (describes quality of sound or sensation, not specifically pitch)
耳障(みみざわ)り: grating, unpleasant to the ear (focuses on the listener's discomfort)

Related Words

Compare: 鋭(するど)い (sharp, keen)

Compare: 耳障(みみざわ)り (grating, unpleasant to the ear)

general

Added 2026.2.25 23:27 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

13500/13559_kandakai