Kanashii is the Japanese word for ‘sad’, explained

What does “kanashii” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “kanashii” to mean ‘sad’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail together with its kanji character. And also, I will explain how to use it and its major conjugations through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “kanashii” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “kanashii”
• Kanashii in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “I’m sad” in Japanese
• Kanashikunai: the nai form of “kanashii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not sad” in Japanese
• Kanashikatta: the ta form of “kanashii”
  • Example #3: how to say “was sad” in Japanese
• Kanashikute: the te form of “kanashii”
  • Example #4: how to say “sad and” in Japanese
• Kanashikereba: the ba form of “kanashii”
  • Example #5: how to say “if sad” in Japanese
• 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’ in Japanese. This can also mean ‘unhappy’ or ‘sorrowful’ depending on the context and situation.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. To understand this i-adjective more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji character in detail.

Kanashii in kanji

The kanji character used for “kanashii” consists of the following two parts:

• 非 : a kanji character sometimes used as a prefix to add the meaning of ‘non-‘ or ‘un-‘. This can also add the meaning of ‘lacking’.
• 心 : a kanji character used to mean ‘heart’ in Japanese.

These two parts tell us that “kanashii” literally means ‘lacking a heart’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the meaning, but still understandable, I think. In Japanese, being sad can be considered as lacking a heart.

When we meet new kanji characters, we should check their parts in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji parts tell us a lot about the meanings of the characters they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “kanashii” through the detailed check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “kanashii” through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “kanashii”. In this example, it works as the complement. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. It’s worth knowing, I think. When we want to say “sad” in Japanese, anyway, this i-adjective is a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kanashii” in detail and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “kanashikunai”.

Kanashikunai: the 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”, which means ‘not sad’, ‘not unhappy’, or ‘not sorrowful’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “kanashikunai” consists of the following two parts:

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

From these two parts, we can understand that “kanashikunai” is literally the nai form of “kanashii” and 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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to state the speaker’s idea softly.

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

Kanashikatta: the 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”, which means ‘was sad’, ‘was unhappy’, ‘was sorrowful’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “kanashikatta” consists of the following two parts:

• kanashikat – 悲しかっ (かなしかっ) : one conjugation of “kanashii”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “kanashikatta” is literally the ta form of “kanashii” and means ‘was sad’, ‘was unhappy’, ‘was sorrowful’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this ta form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was sad” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works before “kanashikatta” to emphasize its meaning.
• noni – のに : a sentence-ending particle used to express dissatisfaction. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to express the speaker’s dissatisfaction. This has not been reflected in the English sentence, though.

This is a typical usage of “kanashikatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “kanashii”, this ta form is the best option.

Kanashikute: the 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”, which means ‘sad’, ‘unhappy’, or ‘sorrowful’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “kanashikute” consists of the following two parts:

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

From these two parts, we can understand that “kanashikute” is literally the te form of “kanashii”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “kanashikute” is very useful when we want to use “kanashii” in front of another adjective or a verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “sad and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• mada – まだ : an adverb meaning ‘still’ in Japanese.
• 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 “tsurai”. When we want to use “kanashii” in front of another adjective like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.

Kanashikereba: the ba form of “kanashii”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “kanashikereba”.

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

Grammatically, “kanashikereba” consists of the following two parts:

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

From these two parts, we can understand that “kanashikereba” is literally the ba form of “kanashii”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “kanashikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘sad’, ‘unhappy’, or ‘sorrowful’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if sad” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

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

This is a typical usage of “kanashikereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “mada kanashikereba”, which means ‘if you are still sad’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘sad’, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kanashii” and its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kanashii – 悲しい (かなしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘sad’ in Japanese. This can also mean ‘unhappy’ or ‘sorrowful’ depending on the context and situation. 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”, which means ‘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”, which means ‘was sad’, ‘was unhappy’, ‘was sorrowful’, or such in Japanese.
• kanashikute – 悲しくて (かなしくて) : the te form of “kanashii”, which means ‘sad’, ‘unhappy’, or ‘sorrowful’ in Japanese. When we want to use “kanashii” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• kanashikereba – 悲しければ (かなしければ) : the ba form of “kanashii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘sad’, ‘unhappy’, or ‘sorrowful’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.