Japanese word

同情

Pronunciation

Romajidōjō

Meaning

  • nounsympathy

Example

困っている人に同情します。koma tte i ru hito ni dō jō shi ma su

I have sympathy for people in trouble.

Illustration for 同情 (sympathy)

More examples

彼の苦しい立場に同情を寄せました。kare no kuru shi i tachi ba ni dō jō o yo se ma shi ta

I felt sympathy for his difficult situation.

Core concept

同情 (dōjō) describes understanding another person's hardship and sharing concern for it without necessarily having the same experience.

Common phrases

  • 同情するdō jō su ru

    feel sympathy

  • 同情を示すdō jō o shime su

    show sympathy

  • 同情を集めるdō jō o atsu me ru

    win sympathy

Similar words

哀れみawaremi: Concern and sadness felt for someone who is experiencing hardship.
共感kyōkan: An understanding of another person's feelings and experience.
思いやりomoiyari: Kind concern for another person's situation, feelings, or needs.

Definition in Japanese

他人の苦しみや不幸を理解し、気の毒に思う気持ち。ta nin no kuru shi mi ya fu kō o ri kai shi ki no doku ni omo u ki mo chi

Word origin

同情 (dōjō) is a Sino-Japanese word combining 同 (dō, "same") and 情 (jō, "feelings"), expressing the idea of feeling with another person.

Usage tips

  • Saying 成功に同情する (seikō ni dōjō suru) sounds unnatural because 同情 (dōjō) normally responds to hardship rather than good news.

Other meanings

  • compassionnoun
  • pitynoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 同情的dōjōtekisympatheticna-adjective
  • 同情心dōjōshincompassionnoun
  • 同情者dōjōshasympathizernoun

Word lists with this word