可憐

• 読み: かれん
• ローマ字: karen
• 漢字の分解: 可 (ka) — good, worthy, acceptable; 憐 (ren) — pity, compassion, to take pity on
• 発音: /ka.ɾen/

意味

Lovely; sweet; innocent; endearingly fragile. Describes a person or thing that is charming precisely because of its delicacy, evoking both beauty and tenderness.

A na-adjective used to describe someone — typically a young woman, child, or small creature — who is endearing due to their fragility and innocence. Carries dual meanings: visually beautiful in a delicate way, and pitiful in a way that inspires protectiveness. Appears frequently in literary prose and character descriptions, carrying a more literary nuance than かわいい.

例文

1. 可憐な少女が花畑の中に立っている絵が、部屋に飾られていた。
2. 彼女の可憐な笑顔に、思わず見とれてしまった。
3. 可憐に咲く野の花が、荒れた大地に命の美しさを示していた。

使い方ガイド

場面: literature, appearance, poetry, character description

トーン: tender

起源と歴史

Sino-Japanese compound of 可 (worthy, good) and 憐 (pity, compassion). Borrowed from Chinese literary tradition, used in Japanese since the Meiji era to describe a delicate beauty tinged with a quality that invites protective tenderness.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Literary