shallow, superficial, frivolous, wretched

About this kanji

The kanji 浅 (あさい, sen) primarily means "shallow" and can refer to both physical depths and metaphorical shallowness, such as superficial thoughts or feelings. It is often used as an adjective, like in 浅い (あさい), meaning "shallow," or 浅はか (あさはか), which refers to someone who is shallow or superficial in thinking. Another common compound is 浅見 (せんけん), meaning "shallow view" or a lack of depth in perspective. You might also encounter 浅瀬 (あさせ), referring to a shoal, a shallow area in water. Note that while 浅 can describe tangible depths, it also serves to characterize people or ideas as lacking seriousness.

Example sentences

• 浅いところで泳ぐのが好きだ。

  I like to swim in shallow areas.

Meanings across languages

English

shallow, superficial, frivolous, wretched, shameful

Tiếng Việt

nông, hời hợt

日本語

浅い, 表面的

한국어

얕은, 피상적인

中文

浅, 肤浅

id

dangkal

th

ตื้น

es

superficial

fr

superficiel

de

flach

pt

raso

Common compounds

• 浅いあさいshallow, superficial, slight (wound)
• 浅はかあさはかshallow, superficial, thoughtless
• 浅見せんけんshallow view, superficial idea, (one's) view
• 浅瀬あさせshoal, shallows, sand bar
• 遠浅とおあさshoal, wide shallow beach
• 浅黒いあさぐろいdark (skin, complexion, etc.), swarthy, tanned
• 浅海せんかいshallow sea
• 浅学せんがくshallow knowledge, superficial learning

Words using this kanji