(かな)しさ

かなしさ
noun
sadness; sorrow
emotion
1. sadness; sorrow; how sad something is
The noun form of (かな)しい. It names sadness as a quality or a degree — how sad a thing or an experience is — rather than the emotion in the abstract.
I felt the sadness of parting.
That song has a sadness that words cannot capture.
Those around them can hardly understand the sorrow of someone who has lost their family.

Formed by replacing the final い of (かな)しい with さ, the regular way to make a noun of degree from an i-adjective.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • (かな)しみ: sorrow, grief — the emotion itself, deeper and more lasting; the usual choice for grief over a death
  • (さび)しさ: loneliness — the ache of being alone rather than of loss