不憫(ふびん)

ふびん
na-adjective, noun
pitiful; pitiable; poor (someone to feel sorry for)
emotion
1. pitiful; pitiable; poor (someone to feel sorry for)
Expresses compassionate pity for someone in an unfortunate situation, often through no fault of their own. Conveys tender sympathy rather than contempt.
不憫(ふびん)な子(こ)だ。
What a poor child.
親(おや)を亡(な)くした子供(こども)を不憫(ふびん)に思(おも)う。
I feel sorry for the child who lost their parents.
祖母(そぼ)は不憫(ふびん)な孫(まご)のために毎日(まいにち)お弁当(べんとう)を作(つく)ってくれた。
My grandmother made a lunch box every day for her poor grandchild.

Expresses a feeling of pity or sympathy for someone who is in an unfortunate situation, often through no fault of their own. The emotion conveyed is one of compassionate sadness rather than contempt. Also written as 不便(ふびん) in older texts, though 不憫(ふびん) is the standard modern form.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 可哀想(かわいそう): pitiful, poor — the most common everyday word for expressing pity; less literary than 不憫(ふびん)
  • 気(き)の毒(どく): unfortunate, pitiable — focuses on the situation being regrettable; also used as a polite apology
  • 哀(あわ)れ: pathos, pity — literary; conveys a deeper sense of sorrow

Related Words

Compare: 気(き)の毒(どく) (unfortunate, pitiable)
Compare: 哀(あわ)れ (pathos, pity)
Compare: かわいそう (pitiful, pathetic, poor (thing))
general
Added 2026.4.6 23:21 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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