かわいそう

• Reading: かわいそう
• Romaji: kawaisou
• Pronunciation: /ka.wa.i.soː/

Meaning

Poor thing; pitiable; feeling sorry for. Expresses sympathy or pity towards someone.

A na-adjective expressing compassion or pity. Used as a standalone exclamation (かわいそう!) or as a modifier (かわいそうな子). Despite the kanji form 可哀想, it is predominantly written in hiragana. Be careful not to confuse with かわいい (cute), though they share the same root.

Examples

1. 雨の中で子猫がかわいそうだった。 The kitten out in the rain was such a poor thing.
2. かわいそうに、彼は試合に出られなかった。 Poor guy — he couldn't even play in the match.
3. そんなことを言うのはかわいそうだよ。 It's not nice to say something like that to someone.

Usage Guide

Context: sympathy, animals, unfortunate events

Tone: compassionate

Origin & History

Originally from かわいい (kawaii, lovable/pitiable) combined with そう (seeming/looking). In older Japanese, かわいい itself meant 'pitiable' before shifting to 'cute.' The kanji 可哀想 is ateji (phonetic kanji assignment).

Cultural Context

Era: Edo period

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal