The Meaning of nasakebukai [情け深い] In Japanese

情け深い
なさけぶかい
Romaji: nasakebukai N3

What does 情け深い mean?

Translation and Meaning

deep compassion, compassionate, benevolent

Definition

情け深い means having deep compassion for others; a person who is 情け深い is genuinely sympathetic and ready to help or show mercy. It describes a character with a strong ethical regard for others and a willingness to act with kindness.

Type

adjective (i-adjective)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Deeply compassionate, showing strong pity and mercy toward others
  • Kind-hearted and benevolent in attitude and behavior
  • Used in formal or literary contexts to praise humane character or moral integrity
  • Conveys earnestness and seriousness of kindness, sometimes with a traditional tone

Etymology

情け nasake — pity, compassion; 深い fukai — deep; rendaku in compounds often voices the initial consonant of the second element, giving nasakebukai.

Origin

The concept of pity and mercy is ancient in Japanese culture; 情け has appeared in classical literature and ethics, and 情け深い has been used across periods to describe humane character in prose and poetry.

Composition

  • 情け: pity, compassion; a compound of emotion-related meaning
  • 深い: deep; describes the extent of the quality

Usage

Used in formal or literary contexts to describe people, actions, or policies that show genuine mercy and consideration; appropriate for describing humane character or moral integrity, less common in casual speech; can modify a noun or stand after a copula in descriptive sentences.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a heart (情) that runs deep (深い) into caring for others, and remember the pronunciation nasakebukai by linking nasake with bukai from fukai via rendaku

Variations

  • 思いやり深い (omoiyari-fukai) — deep consideration and kindness
  • 慈悲深い (jihi-bukai) — merciful, often with religious or moral tone
  • 同情深い (dōjō-bukai) — sympathetic, though less common
  • Antonyme: 冷淡 (reitan), 無情 (mujō) — cold, merciless

Example Phrases

  • 道端で 困っている お年寄りに 情け深い 手を 優しく 差し伸べた
    michibata de komatte iru otoshiyori ni nasakebukai te o yasashiku sashi nobeta
    I gently extended a compassionate hand to the elderly person who was in trouble by the roadside.
    Lista:
    • 道端で (michibata de) – on the roadside
    • 困っている (komatte iru) – being in trouble
    • お年寄りに (otoshiyori ni) – to the elderly
    • 情け深い (nasakebukai) – compassionate
    • 手を (te o) – hand
    • 優しく (yasashiku) – gently
    • 差し伸べた (sashi nobeta) – extended
    情け深い means ‘kind-hearted/compassionate’; in this sentence it functions as an i-adjective directly modifying the noun, as in 「情け深い手」.
情け深い