Meaning

Primary

Weak Looking

Alternatives

Frail, Weak Seeming, Seemingly Weak

Word Type

い adjective

Explanation

Something that is double weak is probably pretty weak. You also know that this is an adjective because it ends with . You know that 弱い is weak, so it probably isn't that. Instead, this one is weak looking or frail. If you know the grammar らしい you can kind of use that as a hint. The しい on the end reminds me of らしい which is like "seems to be." So, "seems to be weak" = "weak looking."

Reading

よわよわしい
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

The reading is double kun'yomi, as you can probably guess due to all the hiragana involved. So, you double up on よわ and then add the しい to read this vocabulary word.

Context

Pattern of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 弱々しいすがた

    weak looking appearance

    弱々しい声

    feeble voice

    弱々しい光

    weak light

Context Sentences

主人は弱々しい体ながら全力で走った。

My husband ran with all his might, despite his weak-looking body.

その車両は弱々しいエンジン音を立てていた。

The vehicle made a frail engine sound.

母は弱々しい声で、おばあちゃんに「ゆっくり、休んで」と言った。

My mother in a weak voice told her grandmother, "Take time to rest."

Kanji Composition