This article will give you all of the knowledge you need on the Japanese word kanashimi, including its Japanese definition and translation, example sentences, and more!
What does kanashimi mean?
Kanashimi (悲しみ、かなしみ) means sadness or sorrow in Japanese. It can also be used to express a feeling of grief. Kanashimi comes from the adjective kanashii (悲しい、かなしい), which means sad. Kanashii tends to be more conversational than kanashimi.
Kanashimi is an emotional and somewhat literary word (i.e. you will read it more often than you say it or hear it), so you will come across it in musical lyrics, poetry, and literature. Indeed, it make an appearance in Gackt’s Last Song, a melancholic hit that is still going strong in Japan’s karaoke booths!
降り続く悲しみは 真っ白な雪に変わる
GACKT: Last Song
ずっと空を見上げてた
Furitsuzuku kanashimi wa masshiro na yuki ni kawaru
Zutto sora wo miageteta
The continually raining sadness changes to pure white snow
I always looked up at the sky
(Source: Lyrics Translate)
Without further ado, let’s take a look below at how kanashimi is actually used.
Kanashimi = Sadness
To make it easier for you, I have written each sentence in full Japanese kanji in the first line, followed by roman letters (romaji), and hiragana, with the English meaning coming last.
彼女の悲しみがよく分かります。
Kanojo no kanashimi ga yoku wakarimasu.
かのじょのかなしみがよくわかります。
I understand her sadness well.
彼の悲しみに気づかなかった。
Kare no kanashimi ni kizukanakatta.
かれのかなしみにきづかなかった。
I didn’t pick up on his sadness.
悲しみのあまり泣いた。
Kanashimi no amari naita.
かなしみのあまりないた。
I was so sad that I cried (Lit: I cried out of so much sadness)
なんとか、この悲しみを乗り越えたいです。
Nantoka, kono kanashimi wo norikoetai desu.
なんとか、このかなしみをのりこえたいです。
I want to get over this sadness somehow.
悲しみは感じるけど、少しも後悔していない。
Kanashimi wa kanjiru kedo, sukoshi mo koukai shiteinai.
かなしみはかんじるけど、すこしもこうかいない。
I do feel some sadness, but I have no regrets at all.
悲しみは幸せの反対であると考えがちだが、必ずしもそうではない。
Kanashimi wa shiawase no hantai de aru to kangaegachi da ga, kanarazushimo sou de wa nai.
かなしみはしあわせのはんたいであるとかんがえがちだが、かならずしもそうではない。
People tend to think that sadness is the opposite of happiness, but that’s not necessarily the case.
Kanashimi: Also means grief
As mentioned above, you can also use kanashimi when expressing a feeling of grief. Admittedly, the difference between sadness and grief is pretty subtle in English, but it’s useful to note that kanashimi can stand for both of these words.
悲しみは、個人的な喪失の経験だ。
Kanashimi wa, kojinteki na soushitsu no keiken da.
かなしみは、こじんてきなそうしつのけいけんだ。
Grief is a personal experience of loss.
父親は亡くなった時、毎日悲しみで一杯だった。
Chichioya wa nakunatta toki, mainichi kanashimi de ippai datta.
ちちおやはなくなったとき、まいにちかなしみでいっぱいだった。
When my father died, I was full of grief every day.
日が経つにつれて、悲しみは薄れる。
Hi ga tatsu ni tsurete, kanashimi wa usureru.
ひがたつにつれて、かなしみはうすれる。
Grief fades as the days pass by.
Rohan's favorite resource for learning Japanese is JapanesePod101, one of the best tools for getting started with the language. Sign up for a free lifetime account here.
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