The Meaning of hosoi [細い] In Japanese

細い
ほそい
Romaji: hosoi N5

What does 細い mean?

Translation and Meaning

thin, slender, narrow, fine

Definition

細い means thin or slender; it describes something narrow in width or a slender form. It is used for physical dimensions, objects, and can also describe a person’s slender physique or a weak, high-pitched voice in some contexts.

Type

adjective (i-adjective)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Physical thinness or slenderness of objects, threads, wires, stems
  • Narrowness of spaces, openings, or passages
  • Slender body or frame of a person or animal
  • Delicate or faint quality when describing sounds, voices, or impressions

Etymology

From the kanji 細 with kun reading hosoi, historically used in Japanese to express fineness or slenderness. The left radical 糸 signals thread-like texture, reinforcing the notion of thinness; over time the form acquired its modern i-adjective usage.

Composition

  • 細 describes a thin, fine texture; left radical 糸 signals thread-like material; the overall meaning arises from the combination with the suffix い to form an i-adjective describing slenderness

Usage

Used across casual and neutral speech to describe physical thinness, width, or slenderness; it typically modifies a noun or describes a slender build, and can describe narrow spaces or weak, delicate qualities such as a細い声 when appropriate. Contexts range from everyday description to literary imagery; more formal or technical contexts may favor more precise terms for thickness or width.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: picture a fine, delicate thread (糸) becoming a short, simple word with the い ending to mean thin; think of a thread becoming thinner as you say hosoi.

Variations

  • 太い, futoi — thick
  • 細長い, hosonagai — long and thin

Example Phrases

  • 駅前 の 細い 道で 自転車 は 通り にくい です。
    Ekimae no hosoi michi de jitensha wa toori nikui desu.
    The narrow road in front of the station makes it hard to ride a bicycle.
    Lista:
    • 駅前 (ekimae) – in front of the station
    • の (no) – of
    • 細い (hosoi) – narrow
    • 道で (michi de) – on the road
    • 自転車 (jitensha) – bicycle
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 通りにくい (toori nikui) – difficult to pass
    • です (desu) – is
    This sentence uses the cause form 「ので」 after the clause 道が細い to express cause: ‘because the road is narrow’.
細い