さみしい

さみしい
i-adjective
lonely; lonesome; sad
emotion
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Presentさみしいさみしくない
Pastさみしかったさみしくなかった
て formさみしくてさみしくなくて
Adverbialさみしく
Conditional ばさみしければさみしくなければ
Conditional たらさみしかったらさみしくなかったら
1. lonely; lonesome; sad
A common variant pronunciation of (さび)しい, with identical meaning. Describes feeling alone, missing someone, or finding a place or situation desolate. The さみしい form sounds slightly softer and more emotional than さびしい.
I'm a bit lonely today.
Eating dinner alone is lonely.
友達(ともだち)()()してしまって、すごくさみしい気持(きも)ちだ。
My friend has moved away, and I feel really lonesome.

Variant pronunciation of (さび)しい. Both forms write the same kanji ((さみ)しい) and mean the same thing; the choice is largely a matter of speaker preference and feel.

さみしい vs さびしい:

  • さびしい: standard reading; tends to sound a bit more reserved or literary
  • さみしい: very common in casual speech and song lyrics; feels softer, more openly emotional

Common collocations

  • さみしい気持(きも)ち: a lonely feeling
  • さみしくなる: to start feeling lonely
  • 一人(ひとり)さみしい: lonely on one's own

Usage

In writing, さみしい often appears in hiragana to convey the softer, more conversational feel; さびしい is more common when written with the kanji (さび)しい in formal prose.