Meaning

Primary

Miserable

Alternatives

Wretched, Unhappy, Sad

Word Type

な adjective

Explanation

If you face a lot of disasters in your life you're going to be really miserable. It's a shame, but it's hard to be anything but sad when your life is full of disastrous stuff.

Reading

みじめ
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You haven't learned this reading yet so here's a mnemonic to help you:

You'll be really miserable if you find out you're going to have a really 短い (みじ) life.

Context

Context Sentences

そんなことを言われて、人がどれだけ惨めな気持ちになるのか分かる?

You say something like that, but do you understand how miserable people feel?

Kanji Composition