細い
ほそい
hepburn hosoi
thin, slender
Part of speech · i-adjective
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 彼女は手が細くてきれいです。Her hands are slender and beautiful.
- 細い道を歩いて行きました。I walked along a narrow path.
Collocations
細い (hosoi, thin / slender)太い (futoi, thick — antonym)細かい (komakai, fine / minute)細道 (hosomichi, narrow path)狭い (semai, narrow space)
Mnemonic
Hosoi (細い) is an i-adjective — covers "thin / slender / narrow." Antonym of futoi. Applies to body parts (hands, legs, neck, waist) and linear objects (lines, ropes, paths). Hosoi me (slender eyes), hosoi yubi (slender fingers) carry positive aesthetic value. Note hosoi michi vs semai michi: hosoi emphasizes the object's thinness, semai emphasizes narrow space. Hosoi roji (narrow alley, linear) vs semai heya (cramped room, spatial). Komakai (細かい), same kanji + -ka(i), is a separate adjective for "fine / detailed" — komakai keisan (fine calculation), komakai seikaku (meticulous personality). Korean "ganeulda / jopda / semilhada" parallels.
Quick check
Difference between hosoi michi and semai michi?