可憐(かれん)

かれん
na-adjective
lovely; pretty; sweet; charming (in a delicate way)
appearance
1. lovely; pretty; sweet; charming (in a delicate way)
Pretty and delicate in a way that makes others want to protect it; used of girls, young women, and small flowers.
可憐(かれん)な花(はな)が咲(さ)いている。
Pretty little flowers are blooming.
彼女(かのじょ)は可憐(かれん)な少女(しょうじょ)だった。
She was a lovely young girl.
野原(のはら)に可憐(かれん)な野花(のばな)がいっぱい咲(さ)いていた。
The field was full of lovely wildflowers.
2. pitiful; pitiable; poor (evoking sympathy)
Pitiful and moving others to sympathy; an older, less common use.
可憐(かれん)な姿(すがた)に心(こころ)を打(う)たれた。
I was moved by the pitiable sight.
親(おや)を亡(な)くした可憐(かれん)な子供(こども)たち。
The poor children who lost their parents.
戦争(せんそう)で家(いえ)を失(うしな)った人々(ひとびと)の可憐(かれん)な境遇(きょうぐう)に涙(なみだ)した。
I was moved to tears by the pitiful circumstances of the people who lost their homes in the war.

Has two distinct nuances: sense 1 describes delicate, innocent beauty (the most common modern usage), while sense 2 is a more literary meaning of evoking sympathy or pity. The word originally came from Chinese where the 'pitiable' meaning was primary, but in modern Japanese the 'lovely/charming' sense dominates.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 可愛(かわい)い: cute — everyday word for cuteness, broader in usage
  • 愛(あい)らしい: lovable, charming — warm, endearing quality
  • 健気(けなげ): admirable, brave (in a touching way) — emphasizes courage despite hardship

Related Words

Compare: 愛(あい)らしい (lovable, charming)
Compare: 健気(けなげ) (admirable, brave)
Compare: 楚々(そそ) (graceful)
general
Added 2026.4.19 23:14 · Revised 2026.10.2 22:37
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