優しい
yasashii[ja̠sa̠ɕii]
In Japanese, the word for kind is 優しい (yasashii).
優しい is used to describe someone with a benevolent, courteous, friendly or generous personality. Beyond describing people, it is also used to describe a "gentle" touch or a "soft" voice.
Meaning: benevolent, courteous, friendly, generous (adj)
Which one should you use?
Note that 優しい is a homophone of the word 易しい, which means "easy". While they sound the same, they are written with different kanji and carry different meanings.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use 優しい as an adverb (for example, to say "to treat someone kindly"), change the final -i to -ku to get 優しく. To express that someone was kind in the past, change the ending to 優しかった.
How do you pronounce it?
yasashii
Did you know?
- Japanese people often use the phrase 優しい to describe a 'user-friendly' design or an 'eco-friendly' product, such as 地球に優しい meaning 'kind to the earth'.
- In Japanese culture, being too 優しい can sometimes be perceived as a lack of resolve or a weakness in leadership.
- While 優しい describes a kind person, the word 親切 is often used for a specific act of kindness, such as holding a door open for a stranger.
Examples in context
- 優しい人です。He is kind.This sentence is useful for describing a person using 優しい.Tatoeba #79426 by bunbuku, translation #324290 by CK
- 姑、優しいよ。My mother-in-law is kind.This sentence is useful for describing a mother-in-law using 優しい.Tatoeba #9183097 by small_snow, translation #6330458 by RudeGuyGames
- 彼は根が優しい。He is a kind man at heart.This sentence is useful for describing someone's nature using 優しい.Tatoeba #107023 by small_snow, translation #288134 by CC
- 彼女はいつも親切にしてくれる。She is always kind to me.
- 彼は優しい人です。He is a kind person.
- 彼は本当に優しい。He is really kind.
- 友達はいつも親切だ。My friend is always kind.
- 37 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are talking about a new teacher.
- 美咲 Misaki新しい先生は優しいですか？Atarashii sensei wa yasashii desu ka?Is the new teacher kind?
- 蓮 Renはい、とても優しいですよ。Hai, totemo yasashii desu yo.Yes, they are very kind.
- 美咲 Misakiそれは良かったです。Sore wa yokatta desu.That's good to hear.
- 蓮 Renみんなに親切に接してくれます。Minna ni shinsetsu ni sesshite kuremasu.They treat everyone with kindness.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 優しい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
