かすか

Japanese

Alternative spellings
微か幽か幽

Etymology

かす (kasu, the root of verbs 擦る (kasuru), 霞む (kasumu), and 掠める (kasumeru)) + か (-ka, a non-productive suffix used in adjectives)^[1]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) かすか [káꜜsùkà] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2]^[3]^[4]
IPA^(key): [ka̠sɨ̥ka̠]

Adjective

かすか • (kasuka) ^{←かすか (kasuka)^?}-na (adnominal かすかな (kasuka na), adverbial かすかに (kasuka ni))

faint; (of a sight) dim
かすかな望(のぞ)みすらない。
Kasuka na nozomi sura nai.
I have not the faintest hope.

かすかな音(おと)
kasuka na oto
a faint sound

かすかな声(こえ)で
kasuka na koe de
in a faint voice

かすかに見(み)える
kasuka ni mieru
faintly visible

Inflection

Inflection of **かすか**
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	かすかだろ	kasuka daro
Continuative (連用形)	かすかで	kasuka de
Terminal (終止形)	かすかだ	kasuka da
Attributive (連体形)	かすかな	kasuka na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	かすかなら	kasuka nara
Imperative (命令形)	かすかであれ	kasuka de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	かすかではないかすかじゃない	kasuka de wa nai kasuka ja nai
Informal past	かすかだった	kasuka datta
Informal negative past	かすかではなかったかすかじゃなかった	kasuka de wa nakatta kasuka ja nakatta
Formal	かすかです	kasuka desu
Formal negative	かすかではありませんかすかじゃありません	kasuka de wa arimasen kasuka ja arimasen
Formal past	かすかでした	kasuka deshita
Formal negative past	かすかではありませんでしたかすかじゃありませんでした	kasuka de wa arimasen deshita kasuka ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	かすかで	kasuka de
Conditional	かすかなら（ば）	kasuka nara (ba)
Provisional	かすかだったら	kasuka dattara
Volitional	かすかだろう	kasuka darō
Adverbial	かすかに	kasuka ni
Degree	かすかさ	kasukasa

Synonyms

仄(ほの)か (honoka)

Proper noun

For pronunciation and definitions of かすか – see the following entry.

【春日】	[proper noun] a surname

(This term, かすか (kasuka), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)
For a list of all kanji read as かすか, see Category:Japanese kanji read as かすか.

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[KDJ-1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-3] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[SMK5-4] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

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