遠 慮 深(えんりょぶか)い

えんりょぶかい

i-adjective

reserved; modest; diffident

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	遠慮深(えんりょぶか)い	遠慮深(えんりょぶか)くない
Past	遠慮深(えんりょぶか)かった	遠慮深(えんりょぶか)くなかった
て form	遠慮深(えんりょぶか)くて	遠慮深(えんりょぶか)くなくて
Adverbial	遠慮深(えんりょぶか)く	—
Conditional ば	遠慮深(えんりょぶか)ければ	遠慮深(えんりょぶか)くなければ
Conditional たら	遠慮深(えんりょぶか)かったら	遠慮深(えんりょぶか)くなかったら

1. reserved; modest; diffident; restrained

Describes a person who habitually holds back, refrains from imposing on others, and acts with excessive modesty. Generally positive in Japanese culture, though can imply being overly timid.

彼女(かのじょ)は遠慮深(えんりょぶか)い人(ひと)だ。

She is a reserved person.

遠慮深(えんりょぶか)い性格(せいかく)のせいで、なかなか自分(じぶん)の意見(いけん)が言(い)えない。

Because of my reserved nature, I can't easily express my opinions.

そんなに遠慮深(えんりょぶか)くしなくていいよ、もっと気楽(きらく)にしてね。

You don't need to be so reserved — relax and be comfortable.

An い-adjective formed from 遠慮(えんりょ) (restraint, reserve) and 深(ふか)い (deep), meaning deeply reserved or very modest. Describes someone who consistently holds back out of consideration for others.

Usage

In Japanese culture, being 遠慮深(えんりょぶか)い is often seen positively as showing consideration and humility. However, it can also be a gentle criticism when someone is so reserved that they fail to communicate their needs.

Common collocations

遠慮深(えんりょぶか)い人(ひと) — a reserved person
遠慮深(えんりょぶか)い性格(せいかく) — a modest personality
遠慮深(えんりょぶか)い態度(たいど) — a restrained attitude

Similar words

控(ひか)えめ — modest, restrained (more common, less literary)
奥(おく)ゆかしい — refined, modest (positive, appreciative tone)
内気(うちき) — shy, introverted (more about personality than politeness)

Related Words

Compare: 控(ひか)えめ (modest, restrained)

Compare: 奥(おく)ゆかしい (refined, modest)

Compare: 内気(うちき) (shy, introverted)

general

Added 2026.3.29 0:12 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

20000/20163_enryobukai