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I'm a Lonely Girl

I am confused as to the proper word for lonely. Ive always heard it samishii but lesson 3 vocab has it sabishii. Sure enough when I look it up in the Japanese dictionary it has both listed with the same descriptions using the same kanji. Is this a difference in on'yomi and kun'yomi or is something else at play here.
I'm a Lonely Girl
posted by Saiya

Comments 7

  • shairn
    shairn
    I've never heard さみしい, to be perfectly honest. It seems to use the same kanji as さびしい(寂しい), so maybe they come from different dialects?

    Just a hypothesis.
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    Thats interesting-omoshiroi! Most of the animes Ive seen they always say samishii... the one last night I watched saiunkokumonogatari (total chick flick) and the characters said it a few times so maybe your right it is likely dialect because it is the same kanji.
  • JayHill
    JayHill
    This talks about: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2160775 -- seems that it's not dialectical. Apparently sometimes mi is interchanged with bi (same deal with mu and bu). Samishii seems easier to say for some people.
  • Saiya
    Saiya
    arigatou JayHillsan I enjoyed reading that thread. And its true that written it wont matter either way because its the same kanji. I think I will use samishii because tis the one I am used to hearing and I agree that it seems easier to use. When I start my nihongo classes this fall I will ask the sensei if he/she knows any reason to use one over the other and will report back here.
  • xMakoReactantx
    xMakoReactantx
    Check if there's any difference between 応じる and 応ずる while you're at it.
  • Akamaru012
    Akamaru012
    It's a matter of preference.

    さびしい sounds more forceful and stronger like trying to make a point.
    さみしい sounds more elegant and charming like a smooth talker would say.

    But both have the same meanings. It's the same with 言う, which can be read as いう or ゆう.
  • yrader
    yrader
    Hmm.. I always thought it was ever part of japan you are from :S But from here it seems that it is not so?
Saiya

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