い形容詞 IV

いかがわしい商法しょうほうに注意ちゅういが必要ひつようだ。

One must beware of dubious sales practices.

Usage いかがわしい店, いかがわしい商法 — shady and not quite respectable. Also written 如何わしい. From いかが, 'how shall one put it'.

Remember it 如何 (how, in what way) + わしい → the kind of thing you hesitate to describe plainly.

うすら寒さむい朝あさが続つづいている。

One chilly morning follows another.

Usage Slightly cold; and figuratively eerie, sending a chill down the spine — うすら寒い話. The prefix うすら〜 means faintly.

Remember it うすら (faintly) + 寒い (cold) → just cold enough to notice.

えげつない手口てぐちで儲もうけている。

They are making money by ruthless methods.

Usage Crude and merciless, past what is acceptable. Colloquial, originally Kansai dialect. Now also used admiringly: えげつなく強い, frighteningly strong.

Remember it えげつない → going further than anyone decent would.

あの先生せんせいはおっかないと評判ひょうばんだ。

That teacher has a reputation for being scary.

Usage Frightening, intimidating. Familiar and colloquial, milder than 恐ろしい. Often said of a strict person.

Remember it おっかない → the word a child would use for someone you keep away from.

足取あしどりがおぼつかない。

His footing is unsteady.

Usage 足取りがおぼつかない, unsteady on the feet; and 実現はおぼつかない, unlikely to come off. Also written 覚束ない. Always negative in form.

Remember it 覚束 (a firm hold) + ない → nothing firm to hold on to.

お心遣こころづかい、かたじけない。

I am much obliged for your kindness.

Usage An archaic thank-you, now heard only in period drama or used jokingly in mock-formal style. Also written 忝い.

Remember it かたじけない → the old word for a debt too great to repay.

両国りょうこくの関係かんけいがきな臭くさくなってきた。

Relations between the two countries are looking ominous.

Usage Literally a burning smell; the N1 sense is a whiff of trouble coming — conflict or scandal. The second sense is far more often tested.

Remember it きな (scorching) + 臭い (smelling) → the smell of something starting to burn.

そんなに褒ほめられるとくすぐったい。

Praise like that makes me squirm.

Usage Ticklish; and the N1 sense of being pleasantly embarrassed by praise. The second is close to 面映ゆい.

Remember it くすぐる (tickle) + たい → the feeling of being tickled, in the ribs or by a compliment.

しがない勤つとめ人にんにすぎません。

I am only a humble office worker.

Usage しがない〜 — lowly, of no account. Used almost only of yourself, in modesty about your position.

Remember it しがない → not amounting to anything worth naming.

すさまじい勢いきおいで売うれている。

It is selling at a tremendous rate.

Usage すさまじい勢い, すさまじい迫力 — terrific in degree. Not necessarily bad; the point is the intensity. Also written 凄まじい.

Remember it 凄 (dreadful, intense) → force enough to make you step back.

暑あつくてたまらない。

It is unbearably hot.

Usage 〜てたまらない — to an unbearable degree. A much-tested pattern, and it works for pleasant feelings too: うれしくてたまらない.

Remember it 堪る (endure) + ない → past what you can hold in.

締しまりない顔かおをするなと叱しかられた。

I was told off for having a slack expression.

Usage 締まりない顔, 締まりない話 — loose, lacking tension and focus. Also written しまりのない. The verb 締まる is to tighten.

Remember it 締まる (tighten) + ない → nothing pulled tight anywhere.

つたない文章ぶんしょうで恐縮きょうしゅくです。

Forgive my clumsy writing.

Usage つたない文章, つたない英語 — unskilled. Used almost only of your own ability, in modesty. Also written 拙い.

Remember it 拙 (clumsy) on the hand radical 扌 → the hand not yet up to the job.

ばかばかしくて付つき合あっていられない。

It is too absurd to go along with.

Usage Ridiculous and pointless. Stronger than ばからしい. Also written 馬鹿馬鹿しい.

Remember it 馬鹿 (fool) doubled → foolish twice over.

戦後せんごはひもじい思おもいをしたそうだ。

They say people went hungry after the war.

Usage ひもじい思いをする — going hungry. An old word, far heavier than お腹がすいた: it belongs to times of real scarcity.

Remember it ひもじい → the hunger of not knowing when the next meal comes.

この場ばに似につかわしい服装ふくそうとは言いえない。

It can hardly be called dress befitting the occasion.

Usage 〜に似つかわしい — fitting for the situation. Often used in the negative. More formal than 似合う, which is about looks.

Remember it 似る (resemble) + つかわしい → suited to the company it is in.

努力どりょくが報むくわれずむなしい。

My effort went unrewarded and it feels hollow.

Usage Empty, futile, in vain. Also written 空しい or 虚しい. むなしく終わる is to come to nothing.

Remember it 空 (empty) → nothing inside it after all.

言葉ことばにできないのがもどかしい。

It is frustrating not to be able to put it into words.

Usage Impatient frustration at things not moving as they should. Unlike イライラ, もどかしい is aimed at your own helplessness.

Remember it もどかしい → the itch of watching it go slower than you can bear.

どこにもぶつけられないやるせない思おもいだ。

It is a helpless feeling with nowhere to put it.

Usage やるせない思い — a disconsolate sadness with no outlet. From 遣る瀬がない, having no shore to send your feelings to. Literary.

Remember it 遣る (send off) + 瀬 (shore) + ない → nowhere to send the feeling to.

奥おくゆかしい人柄ひとがらに惹ひかれた。

I was drawn to her modest, refined character.

Usage 奥ゆかしい — reserved but with depth, never showy — is the usual form. Alone, ゆかしい means graceful and quietly appealing.

Remember it ゆかし (drawn toward) → what quietly draws you in rather than calling out.

急きゅうによそよそしい態度たいどになった。

His manner suddenly turned distant.

Usage Behaving like a stranger to someone you were close to. よそ means elsewhere, outside. Its opposite in spirit is 馴れ馴れしい.

Remember it よそ (elsewhere) doubled → treating you as if you were from somewhere else.

力強ちからづよい言葉ことばに勇気ゆうきをもらった。

His forceful words gave me courage.

Usage Powerful; and 力強い味方, a reassuring ally you can lean on. The second sense is very common. Read ちからづよい.

Remember it 力 (strength) + 強い (strong) → strength you can feel behind it.

堅苦かたくるしい挨拶あいさつは抜ぬきにしましょう。

Let us dispense with the stiff formalities.

Usage 堅苦しい挨拶, 堅苦しい場 — rigid and over-formal. Read かたくるしい. 堅苦しく考えない means not to take it too heavily.

Remember it 堅い (hard) + 苦しい (uncomfortable) → stiff enough to be uncomfortable.

限かぎりない可能かのう性せいを秘ひめている。

It holds boundless possibilities.

Usage 限りない — without limit. Also the adverb 限りなく: 限りなく透明に近い, as near to transparent as makes no difference.

Remember it 限り (limit) + ない → there is no limit to it.

要求ようきゅうは際限さいげんなくエスカレートしていった。

The demands escalated endlessly.

Usage 際限なく〜する, and also 際限がない. 際限 is the outermost boundary. Read さいげん.

Remember it 際限 (the outer boundary) + ない → no boundary where it stops.

数かぞえ切きれないほどの思おもい出でがある。

I have more memories than I can count.

Usage 数え切れないほど — beyond counting. The pattern 〜切れない, unable to finish doing, is highly productive: 食べ切れない, 待ち切れない.

Remember it 数える (count) + 切る (finish) + ない → you cannot get to the end of the counting.

願ねがってもない申もうし出でだ。

It is an offer beyond anything I could have hoped for.

Usage 願ってもない〜 — better luck than you could have asked for. Always positive, and placed before a noun: 願ってもないチャンス.

Remember it 願う (wish) + ても + ない → you could not have got it even by wishing.

止やむを得えない事情じじょうで欠席けっせきします。

I shall be absent for unavoidable reasons.

Usage やむを得ない事情 — circumstances beyond one's control. やむを得ず means having no choice but to. Formal written style, and very common.

Remember it 止む (cease) + 得ない (cannot) → it cannot be stopped, so it must be accepted.

出来できは申もうし分ぶんない。

The result leaves nothing to be desired.

Usage 申し分ない — perfect, with nothing to object to. 申し分 is what one might have to add. High praise, in written style.

Remember it 申し分 (something to say against it) + ない → nothing left to say against it.

差さし支つかえなければお名前なまえを伺うかがえますか。

If you do not mind, may I ask your name?

Usage 差し支えなければ — 'if it is no trouble' — is a very polite way to open a request for personal information. The verb 差し支える is to hinder.

Remember it 差し支える (get in the way) + ない → nothing in the way of it.

許ゆるしがたい裏切うらぎりだった。

It was an unforgivable betrayal.

Usage The suffix 〜がたい, hard to do, attaches to the ます stem and is highly productive at N1: 許しがたい, 信じがたい, 耐えがたい. Also written 許し難い.

Remember it 許す (forgive) + 難い (hard) → too hard to forgive.

信しんじがたい光景こうけいが広ひろがっていた。

A scarcely believable sight lay before us.

Usage Hard to believe. Same 〜がたい family as 許しがたい and 想像しがたい. More formal than 信じられない.

Remember it 信じる (believe) + 難い (hard) → too hard to believe.

彼女かのじょは商売しょうばいに抜ぬけ目めない。

She misses nothing when it comes to business.

Usage Shrewd, never letting an opportunity past. 抜け目 is a gap or oversight. Half compliment, half dig. Also written 抜け目のない.

Remember it 抜け目 (a gap left) + ない → no gap left anywhere.

手早てばやく支度したくを済すませた。

He got ready quickly.

Usage 手早く is the usual adverbial form. Unlike 手っ取り早い, which may be rough, 手早い is pure praise for deftness.

Remember it 手 (hand) + 早い (fast) → fast in the hands.

粘ねばっこい交渉こうしょうが何なん時間じかんも続つづいた。

Sticky negotiations went on for hours.

Usage Sticky; and figuratively persistent, clinging. From 粘る; the related 粘り強い is tenacity as a compliment.

Remember it 粘 (sticky) with the rice radical 米 → it holds on the way rice paste does.

恐おそれ多おおいお言葉ことばをいただきました。

I have been given words more generous than I deserve.

Usage Too great an honour to accept. Used when praised or favoured by a superior. Very formal, part of humble speech.

Remember it 恐れ (awe) + 多い (much) → more awe than you can carry.

何度なんど思おもい出だしても腹立はらだたしい。

It makes me angry however often I recall it.

Usage Infuriating. More formal than 腹が立つ, whose image — the belly rising — lies behind it.

Remember it 腹 (belly) + 立つ (rise) → the belly standing up in you.

行列ぎょうれつに並ならぶのが馬鹿ばからしくなった。

Queuing came to seem absurd.

Usage Absurd, not worth the effort. Milder than ばかばかしい, which is stronger for the doubling.

Remember it 馬鹿 (fool) + らしい (like) → it looks like something only a fool would do.

味あじは悪わるくないが少すこし物足ものたりない。

The flavour is not bad, but something is missing.

Usage 物足りない — not quite satisfying. The 物 here is not 'thing' but a softening prefix, as in 物悲しい and 物静か.

Remember it 物 (somewhat) + 足りない (not enough) → somehow not quite enough.

年末ねんまつはせわしない日ひが続つづく。

The end of the year brings one hectic day after another.

Usage Restless, never a pause. Note that the ない is NOT a negative: せわしい and せわしない mean the same. A favourite trap.

Remember it せわし (busy) + ない → the ない that intensifies rather than denies.

争あらそいごとがいとわしくなった。

I have grown to detest quarrels.

Usage Loathsome, something you want to avoid. Also written 厭わしい. The verb 厭う gives 労を厭わない, sparing no effort.

Remember it 厭 (weary of) → what you are sick of the sight of.

荷物にもつを手荒てあらく扱あつかわないでください。

Please do not handle the luggage roughly.

Usage 手荒く扱う — handling roughly. 手荒い歓迎 is a rough welcome, usually said ironically. Read てあらい.

Remember it 手 (hand) + 荒い (rough) → a rough hand on it.