The Meaning of yowai [弱い] In Japanese

弱い
よわい
Romaji: yowai N5

What does 弱い mean?

Translation and Meaning

weak, feeble

Definition

What does 弱い mean? It means lacking strength or power in physical, mental, or functional senses, used to describe people, objects, or situations that are not strong. In everyday Japanese it covers health, character, or performance contexts.

Type

adjective (i-adjective)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Physical strength and health: describes someone frail or in poor health.
  • Mental or emotional resilience: describes lack of resolve, courage, or fortitude.
  • Effectiveness or intensity: describes something weak in performance, signal, or flavor.

Etymology

Phonetic evolution uses kun-reading yowai; the kanji 弱 has on-reading jaku used in compounds, reflecting Sino-Japanese influence on readings.

Origin

Historical usage traces back to classical Japanese, with kanji borrowed from Chinese; by the Edo period 弱い was common in everyday language and literature.

Composition

  • 弱: means weak, the core semantic field of the word
  • い: adjectival suffix that turns the root into an i-adjective

Usage

Used across casual and formal speech to describe physical weakness, mental vulnerability, or poor performance of objects, teams, or strategies; in grammar, 弱い attaches as an i-adjective in predicates, with polite forms like 弱いです; common collocations include 体が弱い and 弱い立場.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: see 弱 as a small figure leaning on a staff; the final い signals it’s an adjective, and the sound yowai echoes a sense of fragility you can picture when you feel weak.

Variations

  • か弱い (kayowai) – frail, delicate
  • 軟弱 (nanjaku) – weak, spineless
  • 強い (tsuyoi) – strong (antonym)

Words with the same Kanji

Words with the same Meaning

Example Phrases

  • 私は 弱い 心を 強く したい と思う。
    Watashi wa yowai kokoro o tsuyoku shitai to omou.
    I want to strengthen my weak heart.
    Lista:
    • 私は (watashi wa) – I
    • 弱い (yowai) – weak
    • 心を (kokoro o) – the heart
    • 強く (tsuyoku) – strongly
    • したい (shitai) – want to
    • と思う (to omou) – I think
    The target word 「弱い」 is an i-adjective describing 心; it modifies 心, and 心を強くしたい uses を to mark the object of the verb; したい expresses desire.
弱い