弱い

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
弱
よわ
Grade: 2
kun'yomi
See also 弱る

Etymology

From Old Japanese 弱し (*yo₁wasi), from Proto-Japonic *yowa.

Although not phonetically attested in Old Japanese texts in man'yōgana, the name of a king varies between 目弱王 in the Kojiki and 眉輪王, read as mayo₁wa-WAU in the Nihon Shoki.[1]

Pronunciation

  • Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of 「弱い」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Continuative (連用形) 弱く よわく
よわく
Terminal (終止形) 弱い よわい
Attributive (連体形) 弱い よわい
Key constructions
Informal negative 弱くない よわくない
よわくない
Informal past 弱かった よわかった
よわかった
Informal negative past 弱くなかった よわくなかった
よわくなかった
Formal 弱いです よわいです
Conjunctive 弱くて よわくて
よわくて
Conditional 弱ければ よわければ
よわければ

Adjective

弱(よわ)い • (yowai) ←よわい (yowai)?-i (adverbial 弱(よわ)く (yowaku))

  1. weak, powerless, vulnerable, vincible, delicate
    弱(よわ)い相(あい)手(て)
    yowai aite
    a weak opponent
    酸(さん)に弱(よわ)い
    san ni yowai
    vulnerable to acid
    • 2006 April 15, Nobuyuki Anzai, “AKT(アクト).139(ひゃくさんじゅうきゅう)／　ウォーゲーム最(さい)終(しゅう)決(けっ)戦(せん)　アランＶＳ(バーサス).ハロウィン②(に) [Akt 139: War Games Final Battle: Alan vs. Halloween #2]”, in MÄR(メル) MÄRCHEN AWAKENS ROMANCE [MÄR: Märchen Awakens Romance], volume 13 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 153:
      弱(よわ)い奴(やつ)が強(つよ)い奴(やつ)の犠(ぎ)牲(せい)になるのは必(ひつ)然(ぜん)なんだ
      Yowai yatsu ga tsuyoi yatsu no gisei ni naru no wa hitsuzen na n da
      It’s inevitable that the weak fall prey to the strong
  2. weak, inept, incompetent
    数(すう)字(じ)に弱(よわ)い
    sūji ni yowai
    weak at figures
  3. low tolerance
    酒(さけ)に弱(よわ)い
    sake ni yowai
    easily becoming drunk

Inflection

Inflection of 弱い
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形) 弱かろ よわかろ yowakaro
Continuative (連用形) 弱く よわく yowaku
Terminal (終止形) 弱い よわい yowai
Attributive (連体形) 弱い よわい yowai
Hypothetical (仮定形) 弱けれ よわけれ yowakere
Imperative (命令形) 弱かれ よわかれ yowakare
Key constructions
Informal negative 弱くない よわくない yowaku nai
Informal past 弱かった よわかった yowakatta
Informal negative past 弱くなかった よわくなかった yowaku nakatta
Formal 弱いです よわいです yowai desu
Formal negative 弱くないです よわくないです yowaku nai desu
Formal past 弱かったです よわかったです yowakatta desu
Formal negative past 弱くなかったです よわくなかったです yowaku nakatta desu
Conjunctive 弱くて よわくて yowakute
Conditional 弱ければ よわければ yowakereba
Provisional 弱かったら よわかったら yowakattara
Volitional 弱かろう よわかろう yowakarō
Adverbial 弱く よわく yowaku
Degree 弱さ よわさ yowasa

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

References

  1. ^ Omodaka, Hisataka (1967) 時代別国語大辞典 上代編 [The dictionary of historical Japanese: Old Japanese] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN, page 807
  2. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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