1.
hoarse voice; husky voice; raspy voice
A voice that sounds rough, strained, or breathy, typically due to a sore throat, overuse, strong emotion, or aging. The quality implies the voice is not coming out clearly and has a scratchy or fading quality.
Compound of かすれ (the stem of かすれる, 'to become faint; to blur; to grow hoarse') and 声 ('voice'; voiced as ごえ in compounds). Describes a voice quality rather than a permanent characteristic — the implication is that the voice has become hoarse from some cause.
Usage
- Can describe both a temporary condition (from illness or overuse) and a characteristic quality (a naturally husky voice)
- When describing an attractive huskiness, 低いかすれ声 ('low husky voice') is common
- Often appears in literary descriptions of characters who are emotional, exhausted, or ill
Common collocations
- かすれ声で話す: to speak in a hoarse voice
- かすれ声になる: to become hoarse
- かすれ声しか出ない: can only produce a hoarse voice
- かすれ声で叫ぶ: to shout in a raspy voice
Similar words
- 嗄れ声: hoarse voice — a stronger, rougher hoarseness, often from prolonged strain or illness; more literary
- ハスキーボイス: husky voice — a loanword used positively to describe an attractively low, breathy voice quality
- 声枯れ: loss of voice; hoarseness — focuses on the condition of losing one's voice rather than the quality of the sound
Related Words
Related:
かすれる (to become hoarse)