険しい

• 読み: けわしい
• ローマ字: kewashii
• 漢字の分解: 険 (kewa/ken) — steep, dangerous, rugged terrain
• 発音: /ke.wa.ɕiː/

意味

Steep; rugged; harsh; stern; grim. Describes terrain that is physically precipitous, or an expression or situation that is severe and forbidding.

An i-adjective with strong physical and metaphorical senses. In the physical domain it describes mountains, cliffs, and paths that are dangerously steep. Metaphorically, it applies to facial expressions (険しい表情 — stern expression), life paths (険しい道 — a hard road ahead), or social situations that feel tense and unforgiving.

例文

1. 険しい山道を何時間も歩いて、ようやく頂上にたどり着いた。
2. 彼は険しい表情でレポートを読み、一言も言葉を発しなかった。
3. 成功への道は険しく、多くの人が途中で諦めてしまう。

使い方ガイド

場面: nature description, facial expression, life metaphors, narrative

トーン: serious, forbidding

起源と歴史

Derived from 険 (ken — steep cliff, danger,險) with the i-adjective suffix -しい. The character 険 depicts a steep, dangerous hillside. The dual physical/emotional usage dates to classical literature.

文化的背景

時代: Classical–Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal