Entry
ほっそり
hossori
Elegantly slender, slim, or delicate, typically describing a person's body or limbs.
Meaning
Quick Meaning
A word used to describe a person's overall figure or specific body parts, such as fingers or legs, as being beautifully and delicately thin. It carries a positive, graceful connotation, differentiating it from simply being skinny or underweight.
- Overall body figure
- Specific body parts
Sense Map
Overall Figure
Describes an overall body shape that is slim, elegant, and graceful.
ほっそりとした体つき
Specific Body Parts
Describes specific body parts, like fingers, arms, or legs, that look delicate and slender.
ほっそりした指
Usage Note
How to Use
ほっそりする
To become slim or appear slim, often used after losing weight.
ほっそりした + noun
Modifies a noun to describe it as inherently slender, such as fingers or a neck.
ほっそりと + verb
Describes an action or state characterized by a slender appearance.
How to Use
Common Phrases
ほっそりした指
slender fingers
ほっそりした脚
slender legs
ほっそりとした体つき
slender figure
ほっそり見える
looks slim
Nuance
Context Nuance
| Common Contexts | Nuance | Usage Note |
|---|---|---|
| Body Figure | positive | Used as a compliment for a slim, graceful figure. |
| Body Parts | positive | Often used to praise the delicate beauty of slender fingers, necks, or legs. |
Similar Words
Comparison Table
| Similar Words | When to Use | Not the Same as | Mini Example |
|---|---|---|---|
すらり すらり / similar | Use for someone who is tall, slender, and well-proportioned. | Surari emphasizes being tall and long, while hossori focuses purely on the delicate slimness regardless of height. | すらりとした足 |
がりがり がりがり / contrast | Use for someone who is unhealthily thin or scrawny. | Garigari is negative and implies being unhealthily skinny, while hossori is positive and graceful. | がりがりに痩せる |
Usage Note
Common Mistakes
Using hossori to describe inanimate thin objects like a book or a smartphone.
Use usui (thin) or hosoi (narrow/thin) for objects. Hossori is reserved for living bodies or body parts.
Using it with a negative connotation to describe someone as overly skinny.
Hossori is a positive, complimentary term meaning elegantly slender. Use garigari for unhealthy skinniness.
Examples
Examples
彼女はほっそりした指をしている。
かのじょはほっそりしたゆびをしている。
She has slender fingers.
VisualHighlights the delicate and graceful appearance of the fingers.
少し痩せて、顔がほっそりした。
すこしやせて、かおがほっそりした。
I lost a little weight and my face became slimmer.
VisualDescribes the visible result of weight loss on facial features.
妹はほっそりとした体つきをしている。
いもうとはほっそりとしたからだつきをしている。
My younger sister has a slender figure.
VisualUsed as a compliment to describe an elegantly slim physique.
黒い服を着ると、いつもよりほっそり見える。
くろいふくをきると、いつもよりほっそりみえる。
Wearing black clothes makes you look slimmer than usual.
VisualDescribes the optical illusion of appearing slimmer due to clothing.
ほっそりとした脚に憧れる。
ほっそりとしたあしにあこがれる。
I admire slender legs.
VisualExpresses admiration for a specific body part's graceful thinness.
Similar Words
すらり
surari
Surari describes something or someone as long, slender, and well-proportioned, or movement as smooth and continuous. Also means slender, but with an emphasis on being tall and long.
すらっと
suratto
Describes a gracefully slender, slim, and well-proportioned appearance.
すんなり
sunnari
Describes a process advancing smoothly without resistance, or a physical appearance that is slender and lithe.
がりがり
garigari
This word describes a loud crunching or scratching sound, a very hard texture, or an unhealthily thin, bony body. Unlike the graceful hossori, garigari describes unhealthy, scrawny thinness.
Questions
What is the difference between hossori and hosoi?
Hosoi is a general adjective for thin objects or people. Hossori specifically describes an elegantly slender or delicate body shape.
Can hossori be used for men?
Yes, but because of its graceful and delicate nuance, it is much more commonly used for women or specific body parts like fingers.
Does hossori ever have a negative meaning?
No, hossori is a compliment meaning beautifully slim. For negative skinniness, use words like garigari.
Source Details
- Entry ID
- 2009720
- Source
- JMdict_english
- Revision
- -
- Review notes
- No special notes
- Active language
- English
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