Japanese edit

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

Etymology edit

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *yowa.

Pronunciation edit

  • Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of "弱い"
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Continuative (連用形) 弱く わく
[yóꜜwàkù]
[yòwáꜜkù]
Terminal (終止形) 弱い [yòwáꜜì]
Attributive (連体形) 弱い [yòwáꜜì]
Key constructions
Informal negative 弱くない わくない
くない
[yóꜜwàkùnàì]
[yòwáꜜkùnàì]
Informal past 弱かった わかった
かった
[yóꜜwàkàttà]
[yòwáꜜkàttà]
Informal negative past 弱くなかった わくなかった
くなかった
[yóꜜwàkùnàkàttà]
[yòwáꜜkùnàkàttà]
Formal 弱いです いです [yòwáꜜìdèsù]
Conjunctive 弱くて わくて
くて
[yóꜜwàkùtè]
[yòwáꜜkùtè]
Conditional 弱ければ わければ
ければ
[yóꜜwàkèrèbà]
[yòwáꜜkèrèbà]

Adjective edit

(よわ) (yowaiよわい (yowai)?-i (adverbial (よわ) (yowaku))

  1. weak, powerless, vulnerable, vincible, delicate
    (よわ)(あい)()
    yowai aite
    a weak opponent
    (さん)(よわ)
    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(さい)(しゅう)(けっ)(せん) アランVS(バーサス).ハロウィン() [Akt 139: War Games Final Battle: Alan vs. Halloween #2]”, in MÄR(メル) MÄRCHEN AWAKENS ROMANCE (MÄR(メル) MÄRCHEN AWAKENS ROMANCE) [MÄR: Märchen Awakens Romance], volume 13 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 153:
      (よわ)(やつ)(つよ)(やつ)()(せい)になるのは(ひつ)(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
    (すう)()(よわ)
    sūji ni yowai
    weak at figures
  3. low tolerance
    (さけ)(よわ)
    sake ni yowai
    easily becoming drunk

Inflection edit

Synonyms edit

Antonyms edit

Derived terms edit