低い
ひくい
hepburn hikui
low, short (height)
Part of speech · i-adjective
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- 富士山より低い山です。It's a mountain lower than Mt. Fuji.
- 声が低いですね。Your voice is low (deep).
Collocations
低い (hikui, low)高い (takai, high — antonym)低気圧 (teikiatsu, low pressure — weather)低音 (teion, low pitch / bass)腰が低い (koshi ga hikui, "low-waisted" — humble person)
Mnemonic
低い hikui — i-adjective. Core senses: (1) physical lowness, (2) low pitch (deep voice), (3) low price/temperature. Idiom 腰が低い (koshi ga hikui, "low-waisted") = humble, modest, ready to bow — body posture mapped onto character. Paired with 高い (takai). Onyomi てい (tei): 低気圧 (low pressure), 低音 (bass), 低価格 (low price). Body posture → character judgment is the recurring metaphor; one adjective bridges physical, acoustic, economic, and moral domains.
Quick check
Idiomatic meaning of 腰が低い?