哀
哀 — Pathetic
pathetic, grief, sorrow, pathos, pity, sympathize
On’yomiアイ (ai)
Kun’yomiあわれ (aware)
Kun’yomiあわれむ (awaremu)
Kun’yomiかなしい (kanashii)
Stroke order (9 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 哀
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 哀悼 | あいとう aitou | condolence; regret; tribute |
| 哀れ | あわれ aware | pity; sorrow; grief |
| 哀れむ | あわれむ awaremu | to pity; to feel sympathy for; to sympathize with |
| 哀愁 | あいしゅう aishuu | pathos; sorrow; grief |
| 悲哀 | ひあい hiai | sorrow; grief; sadness |
| 可哀想 | かわいそう kawaisou | poor; pitiable; pathetic |
Study notes
哀 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught at secondary-school level in Japan. Ranked #1715 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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