Japanese word

柔らかい

Pronunciation

Romajiyawarakai

Meaning

  • i-adjectivesoft

Example

このパンは柔らかいです。ko no pa n wa yawa ra ka i de su

This bread is soft.

Illustration for 柔らかい (soft)

More examples

赤ちゃんの手は驚くほど柔らかいです。aka cha n no te wa odoro ku ho do yawa ra ka i de su

The baby's hands are remarkably soft.

Core concept

Expresses a lack of hardness or rigidity that makes a thing gentle, a person kind, or a situation easy to adapt to.

Common phrases

  • 柔らかい肌yawa ra ka i hada

    soft skin

  • 柔らかい毛布yawa ra ka i mō fu

    soft blanket

  • 柔らかい表情yawa ra ka i hyō jō

    gentle expression

Definition in Japanese

物がかたくなく、力を加えると容易に形を変えるさま。人の性質や物事の扱いが穏やかで、きびしくないさま。mono ga ka ta ku na ku chikara o kuwa e ru to yō i ni katachi o ka e ru sa ma hito no sei shitsu ya mono goto no atsuka i ga oda ya ka de ki bi shi ku na i sa ma

Word origin

The native Japanese adjective 柔らかい (yawarakai) consists of 柔らか (yawaraka, "soft") and い (i), the inflectional ending of an i-adjective.

Usage tips

  • The spelling 柔らかい (yawarakai) is widely used for this word, while 軟らかい (yawarakai) is also found, so learners may encounter two kanji spellings with the same sound.

Other meanings

  • tenderi-adjective
  • flexiblei-adjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 柔らかさyawarakasasoftnessnoun

Word lists with this word