soft

About this kanji

The kanji 軟, pronounced as 'nan' in on'yomi and 'yawaraka' or 'yawarakai' in kun'yomi, primarily means 'soft.' This kanji is often used in nouns and verbs related to softness or flexibility. For example, the compound 柔軟 (じゅうなん) means 'flexible,' while 軟化 (なんか) translates to 'softening,' often used in contexts like cooking or materials. Another common compound is 軟式 (なんしき), which refers to sports like softball or tennis, indicating a 'soft' style of play. A useful note is that while 'soft' is the main meaning, it can also relate to different contexts, such as gentle or mild.

Example sentences

• このスポンジはとても軟らかい。

  This sponge is very soft.

Meanings across languages

English

soft

Tiếng Việt

mềm

日本語

軟らかい

한국어

부드러운

中文

软

id

lembut

th

นุ่ม

es

suave

fr

doux

de

weich

pt

macio

Common compounds

• 柔軟じゅうなんflexible, lithe, soft
• 軟化なんかsoftening, softening (of attitude), mollification
• 軟式なんしきsoft (esp. of softball, tennis, etc.)
• 軟禁なんきんhouse arrest
• 硬軟こうなんhardness and softness, hard line and moderate line
• 軟弱なんじゃくsoft and lacking firmness, weak, fragile
• 軟派なんぱseducer, smooth talker, ladies' man
• 軟骨なんこつcartilage, nankotsu, (dish of) gristle (usu. of chicken, deep-fried)