哀(あわ)れな

あわれな
na-adjective
pitiful; pathetic; wretched
emotionevaluation
1. pitiful; pathetic; wretched
describes someone or something that evokes pity or compassion due to their unfortunate state
哀(あわ)れな姿(すがた)だ。
What a pitiful sight.
哀(あわ)れな子犬(こいぬ)が雨(あめ)の中(なか)で震(ふる)えていた。
A pitiful puppy was shivering in the rain.
借金(しゃっきん)に追(お)われて哀(あわ)れな生活(せいかつ)を送(おく)っている。
He is living a wretched life, hounded by debt.
2. touching; moving; poignant
describes something that stirs deep emotion or pathos, often with a sense of melancholy beauty
哀(あわ)れな物語(ものがたり)だ。
It's a moving story.
秋(あき)の夕暮(ゆうぐ)れには哀(あわ)れを感(かん)じる。
I feel a deep poignancy in the autumn twilight.
その歌(うた)には人(ひと)の心(こころ)を打(う)つ哀(あわ)れさがある。
That song has a poignancy that strikes the heart.

A word with deep roots in Japanese literary tradition. The primary modern meaning is pitiful or pathetic, but the classical sense of being deeply moved by the bittersweet nature of life persists in literary and formal contexts.

Common collocations

Cultural note

The noun 哀(あわ)れ (aware) is a key concept in Japanese aesthetics, famously expressed as もののあわれ (mono no aware), the bittersweet awareness of impermanence. This classical meaning still influences the word's nuance today.

Similar words

  • 可哀想(かわいそう)な: pitiable — more colloquial and commonly used in everyday speech
  • 惨(みじ)めな: miserable, wretched — stronger emphasis on degradation and shame
  • 気(き)の毒(どく)な: unfortunate, pitiful — more polite and detached expression of sympathy

Related Words

Compare: 惨(みじ)め (miserable, wretched)
Compare: 気(き)の毒(どく) (unfortunate, pitiful)
general
Added 2026.4.26 20:16 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
25500/25558_awarena