Share this link via
Or copy link
Kanji for Sorrow
The kanji most commonly used for "Sorrow" are 哀、愁、騒.
哀
Kanji that mean Sorrow
-
哀
pitiful, sad
Also associated with mourning.
Onyomi: ai Kunyomi: awa.re, awa.remu, kana.shii 9 strokes Jōyō
-
愁
sorrow, melancholy, worry
Onyomi: shuu Kunyomi: ure.eru, urei 13 strokes Jōyō
-
騒
to make noise
Also associated with sorrow, poetry.
Onyomi: soh Kunyomi: sawa.gu, sawaga.shii, urei 18 strokes Jōyō
哀 (ai) is sorrow with a voice in it — the character shows a mouth muffled in clothing: grief wrapped up. 悲哀 is sorrow itself; 哀悼 is mourning; and 哀れ (aware) is one of the oldest aesthetic words in Japanese — もののあはれ, “the pathos of things”, the Heian court’s name for beauty felt through impermanence. In this character, sadness and beauty were never separate.
愁 (shū / urei) is the quieter register: melancholy, the autumn of the heart — literally, since the character sets 秋 (autumn) over 心 (heart). 郷愁 is homesickness-as-longing; 哀愁 pairs both characters into the wistful sadness Japanese enka songs are made of.
悲 (hi) is the general word for sad (悲しい), and 涙 (namida) is the tear itself. Japanese grades its griefs finely — from a wet eye to the sorrow of existence.
Words using Sorrow kanji
Everyday Japanese vocabulary built from the characters above.
-
哀悼
あいとう
condolence; regret; tribute
-
郷愁
きょうしゅう
nostalgia; homesickness
-
騒ぎ
さわぎ
uproar; disturbance
-
悲哀
ひあい
sorrow; grief; sadness
-
哀愁
あいしゅう
pathos; sorrow; grief
-
騒音
そうおん
noise; din
-
可哀想
かわいそう
poor; pitiable; pathetic
-
騒動
そうどう
riot; rebellion; turmoil
-
大騒ぎ
おおさわぎ
clamour; clamor; uproar
Before you use Sorrow kanji
哀 carries classical dignity — the sorrow inside もののあはれ, sadness as depth rather than defeat. 愁 (autumn over heart) is the most poetic construction in this family and reads as refined melancholy. Plain 悲 just reads "sad". If you want sorrow transformed rather than displayed, 哀 with 美 (beauty) or the word 哀愁 frames it as art.