鰥寡孤独

Japanese

Kanji in this term
鰥	寡	孤	独
かん Hyōgaiji	か Grade: S	こ Grade: S	どく Grade: 5
on’yomi

Alternative spelling
鰥寡孤獨 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 鰥寡孤獨 (MC kwean kwaeX ku duwk).

Noun

鰥(かん)寡(か)孤(こ)独(どく) • (kankakodoku) 

1. (literally) Widowers and widowed, orphans and childless elderly.
2. (idiomatic) the lonely people of the world

References

• Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN