寒い

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word 寒い. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word 寒い, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say 寒い in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word 寒い you have here. The definition of the word 寒い will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of寒い, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
寒
さむ
Grade: 3
kun'yomi

Etymology

From the 連体形 (rentaikei, “attributive form”) of Early Middle Japanese adjective 寒し (samushi), with the medial /-k-/ falling out. Originally 寒し (sabushi); underwent a sound change from /b/ to /m/, similar to 寂しい (sabishii, samishii, “lonely, desolate”), 頭 (tsuburi, tsumuri, “head”), and 煙 (keburi, kemuri, “smoke”).

By surface analysis, 寒し (sabushi) is a compound of a Classical Japanese さぶ (sabu) (likely akin to 荒ぶ (sabu, “to be desolate, to be lonely”) and 錆ぶ (sabu, “to rust, to get old”)) and し (shi, Old and Classical Japanese adjective-forming suffix).

May be related to 寂しい (sabishii, samishii, “lonely, desolate”) (attested as sabusi in the Man'yōshū) and 錆びる (sabiru, “to rust, to get old”, intransitive).

Pronunciation

  • Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of 「寒い」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Continuative (連用形) 寒く さむく
さむく
Terminal (終止形) 寒い さむい
Attributive (連体形) 寒い さむい
Key constructions
Informal negative 寒くない さむくない
さむくない
Informal past 寒かった さむかった
さむかった
Informal negative past 寒くなかった さむくなかった
さむくなかった
Formal 寒いです さむいです
Conjunctive 寒くて さむくて
さむくて
Conditional 寒ければ さむければ
さむければ

Adjective

寒(さむ)い • (samui) -i (adverbial 寒(さむ)く (samuku))

  1. cold (ambient temperature, as a winter day is cold)
    今日(きょう)は寒(さむ)い。
    Kyō wa samui.
    It is cold today.
  2. (figuratively) fearful
    背筋(せすじ)が寒(さむ)くなる
    sesuji ga samuku naru
    a chill runs down one's spine
  3. (of a joke) terrible; not funny

Inflection

Inflection of 寒い
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形) 寒かろ さむかろ samukaro
Continuative (連用形) 寒く さむく samuku
Terminal (終止形) 寒い さむい samui
Attributive (連体形) 寒い さむい samui
Hypothetical (仮定形) 寒けれ さむけれ samukere
Imperative (命令形) 寒かれ さむかれ samukare
Key constructions
Informal negative 寒くない さむくない samuku nai
Informal past 寒かった さむかった samukatta
Informal negative past 寒くなかった さむくなかった samuku nakatta
Formal 寒いです さむいです samui desu
Formal negative 寒くないです さむくないです samuku nai desu
Formal past 寒かったです さむかったです samukatta desu
Formal negative past 寒くなかったです さむくなかったです samuku nakatta desu
Conjunctive 寒くて さむくて samukute
Conditional 寒ければ さむければ samukereba
Provisional 寒かったら さむかったら samukattara
Volitional 寒かろう さむかろう samukarō
Adverbial 寒く さむく samuku
Degree 寒さ さむさ samusa

Antonyms

Coordinate terms

See also

References

  1. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia