惜しい

• 読み: おしい
• ローマ字: oshii
• 漢字の分解: 惜 (oshi/seki) — regret, to begrudge a loss
• 発音: /o.ɕiː/

意味

Regrettable; a near miss; too good to waste. Used when something falls just short of success or when something valuable is lost.

An i-adjective with two related senses: (1) tantalisingly close to a goal but just missed — あと一点で満点だったとは惜しい (so close to a perfect score — what a shame); (2) precious enough that losing or wasting it is a shame — 才能が惜しい (it's a shame to waste such talent). Often exclaimed as 惜しい！ in competitive settings when someone nearly succeeds. Tone is empathetic, not dismissive.

例文

1. あと一点で満点だったとは、本当に惜しい結果だった。
2. 彼の才能がこの環境では活かされていないのは惜しいと、誰もが口にした。
3. もう少しで優勝できたのに、惜しいところで逆転を許してしまった。

使い方ガイド

場面: competition, evaluation, exclamation, daily life

トーン: sympathetic

起源と歴史

From Old Japanese 惜し (oshi), meaning to feel reluctant to part with something, or to feel that a loss or failure is too bad. The kanji 惜 combines 忄(heart) and 昔 (past), suggesting lamenting what once was.

文化的背景

時代: Classical to Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal