Sad in Japanese: kanashii, explained with its major conjugations

How to say “sad” in Japanese

There are multiple ways to say “sad” in Japanese. In this blog post, however, I will focus on the most widely-used i-adjective, “kanashii”. I will explain it and its major conjugations with example sentences. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “kanashii”
  • Example #1: how to say “I’m so sad” in Japanese
• Nai form of “kanashii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not sad” in Japanese
• Ta form of “kanashii”
  • Example #3: how to use the past tense form of “kanashii”
• Te form of “kanashii”
  • Example #4: how to use “kanashii” before another adjective
• Ba form of “kanashii”
  • Example #5: how to use “kanashikereba”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “kanashii”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “kanashii”.

• kanashii – 悲しい (かなしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘sad’, ‘unhappy’, or ‘sorrowful’ in Japanese.

Its definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “I’m so sad” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is used after “watashi” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb used to emphasize the meaning of its following word. In the example, it is used to emphasize the meaning of “kanashii”.

This is a typical usage of “kanashii”. When we want to say “sad” in Japanese, this word would be a good choice. In this example, it is used as a complement. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier before a noun. It’s worth knowing, I think.

In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain major conjugations of “kanashii”. The first one is “kanashikunai”.

Nai form of “kanashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “kanashikunai”.

• kanashikunai – 悲しくない (かなしくない) : the nai form of “kanashii”, meaning ‘not sad’, ‘not unhappy’, or ‘not sorrowful’ in Japanese.

Grammatically this nai form can be broken down into the following two parts:

• kanashiku – 悲しく (かなしく) : one conjugation of “kanashii”. This conjugation can have the better connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb put after a verb or adjective to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.

From these two components, we can understand that “kanashikunai” literally means ‘not sad’, ‘not unhappy’, or ‘not sorrowful’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not sad” in Japanese

This is a typical usage of “kanashikunai”. When we want to say “not sad” in Japanese, this nai form would be a good option.

Ta form of “kanashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “kanashikatta”.

• kanashikatta – 悲しかった (かなしかった) : the ta form of “kanashii”, working as its past tense form. So, this ta form means ‘was sad’, ‘was unhappy’, ‘was sorrowful’, or such.

Grammatically this ta form can be broken down into the following two parts:

• kanashikat – 悲しかっ (かなしかっ) : one conjugation of “kanashii”. This conjugation can have the better connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb or adjective to make its ta form.

From these two components, we can understand that “kanashikatta” is literally the ta form of “kanashii”. In Japanese, ta forms of verbs and adjectives can work as their past tense forms. So, we can say “kanashikatta” to mean ‘was sad’, ‘were sad’, ‘was unhappy’, ‘were unhappy’, or such. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to use the past tense form of “kanashii”

This is a typical usage of “kanashikatta”. When we want to say “was sad” in Japanese, this ta form is a good option.

Te form of “kanashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “kanashikute”.

• kanashikute – 悲しくて (かなしくて) : the te form of “kanashii”.

Grammatically this te form can be broken down into the following two parts:

• kanashiku – 悲しく (かなしく) : one conjugation of “kanashii”. This conjugation can have the better connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its te form.

A te form of an adjective can have a smooth connection with another adjective or a verb. So, “kanashikute” is very useful when we want to use adjectives in a row. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to use “kanashii” before another adjective

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• tsurai – つらい : an i-adjective meaning ‘depressed’, ‘painful’, ‘bitter’, or such in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “kanashikute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with the i-adjective, “tsurai”. When we want to use “kanashii” before another adjective or a verb, its te form is very useful.

Ba form of “kanashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “kanashikereba”.

• kanashikereba – 悲しければ (かなしければ) : the ba form of “kanashii”, used to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘sad’, ‘unhappy’, or ‘sorrowful’.

Grammatically this ba form can be broken down into the following two parts:

• kanashikere – 悲しけれ (かなしけれ) : one conjugation of “kanashii”. This conjugation can have the better connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its ba form.

In Japanese, ba forms of verbs and adjectives can work as their conditional forms. So, “kanashikereba” can work to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘sad’, ‘unhappy’, or ‘sorrowful’. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to use “kanashikereba”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ni – に : a case particle used to say to whom an action is heading. In the example, it is used after “watashi” to say to whom the action, ‘to talk’, is heading.
• hanashi – 話し (はなし) : one conjugation of the verb, “hanasu”, which means ‘to talk’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : the same as used in “kanashikute”. In the example, it is used to make the te-formed verb, “hanashi te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
• kudasai – 下さい (ください) : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ in Japanese. When this conjugation is used after a te-formed verb, however, it can work as an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, it is used after “hanashi te” to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of “kanashikereba”. In this example, it is used to make the conditional clause meaning ‘if you are sad’. When we want to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘sad’, ‘unhappy’, or ‘sorrowful’ in Japanese, this ba form would be a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the i-adjective, “kanashii”, and its major conjugations with the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kanashii – 悲しい (かなしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘sad’, ‘unhappy’, or ‘sorrowful’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• kanashikunai – 悲しくない (かなしくない) : the nai form of “kanashii”, meaning ‘not sad’, ‘not unhappy’, or ‘not sorrowful’ in Japanese.
• kanashikatta – 悲しかった (かなしかった) : the ta form of “kanashii”, working as its past tense form. So, this ta form means ‘was sad’, ‘was unhappy’, ‘was sorrowful’, or such.
• kanashikute – 悲しくて (かなしくて) : the te form of “kanashii”. This can have a smooth connection with another adjective or a verb. This is useful when we want to use adjectives in a row.
• kanashikereba – 悲しければ (かなしければ) : the ba form of “kanashii”, used to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘sad’, ‘unhappy’, or ‘sorrowful’.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.