Adjective Nominalization I: ～さ & ～み
There are some set phrases in Japanese that involve adjectives becoming nominalized by simply being left as is in their 連体形.
1. 酸いも甘いも嚙み分ける。
To taste the bitter and the sweet.
The use of the 連体形 in this manner is equivalent to using the 連体形＋｛こと・の｝in modern speech, and examples of the former may be viewed as fossilizations of something that was once far more prevalent.
Note that while the dummy noun こと and the particle の do both nominalize any conjugational part of speech, semantically, the resulting phrases are equivalent to the infinitive (the “to…” form) or gerund (“being”…) in English. More so than not, it may be the case that 事 is being used not as a dummy noun but with its literal meaning of “thing,” but as can be deduced from Ex. 2, the two interpretations should be perceived as bridging contexts in either direction. Likewise, the particle の could be used to create a pronoun with the meaning of “one,” and using の in a purely “nominalizing” manner is restricted to specific grammatical contexts, such as with the ending ～のだ or in an embedded clause like in ～というの.
2. 新しいこと
i. Being new
ii. New thing
3. 自分たちは新しいのだ！
We are novel/fresh!
4. 新しいことが始まる。
Something new is going to start.
5. 新しいのを買いました。
I bought a new one.
6. 毎日が新しいというのを感じることができます。
I can feel how every day is new.
The objective of this lesson, however, is to investigate how the affix ～さ, and to a far lesser extent, ～み are utilized to truly turn adjectival words into nouns. Their equivalents in English would include the suffixes “-th” and “-ness.”
～さ
In principle, ～さ may attach to the stem (語幹) of all adjectives (形容詞) and adjectival nouns (形容動詞), as opposed to attaching to a particular conjugational base.
| 形容詞 | 語幹 | ＋～さ |
| 長い (long) | naga– | 長さ (length) |
| 深い (deep) | fuka– | 深さ (depth) |
| 細長い (slender) | hosonaga– | 細長さ (slenderness) |
| 奥深い (profound) | okufuka– | 奥深さ (profoundness) |
| 形容動詞 | 語幹 | ＋～さ |
| 簡単だ (easy) | kantan– | 簡単さ (ease) |
| 手近だ (handy) | tedjika– | 手近さ (handiness) |
| ユニークだ (unique) | yunīku– | ユニークさ (uniqueness) |
As evident by examples such as 奥深さ and 手近さ, ～さ may attach to adjectival words regardless of how many morphemes compose them. Meaning, non-compound and compound adjectival words alike may all be nominalized via ～さ. It may also appear after adjectival words of any etymological origin—native words, Sino-Japanese words, and loanwords from modern languages.
Though ～さ is not the only means of nominalizing adjectival phrases, it serves as the fundamental means of doing so. Consequently, it is by definition the “least strings attached” approach. Speakers view it as being the “objective” and “concrete” means of nominalizing, which will be important to keep in mind when we look at other methods, which do happen to add an extra layer of nuance.
7. 長さはどれぐらいですか。
How long is it?
Literally: How much is the length?
8. みんなでその嬉しさを噛み締めました。
We enjoyed that happiness all together.
9. サメの泳ぐ速さは人間の十倍らしい。
They say that the swimming speed of sharks is ten times that of humans.
10. 薬の飲みにくさを感じたら薬剤師にご相談ください。
Please consult your pharmacist if you sense any difficulty taking your medication.
11. その花の美しさに感動しました。
I was moved by the flower’s beauty.
12. そのモダンさのコントラストが際立つんですね。
That contrast set by its modernity does stand out, huh.
13. 鮭を咥えたヒグマの力強さに圧倒されました。
I was dumbfounded by the tremendous force of the brown bear holding the salmon in its mouth.
14. 打撃の強さは木を倒すほどでした。
The blow was strong enough to knock down a tree.
15. 設備投資の弱さは競争力に大きなマイナスになるだろう。
The weakness of capital investment could became a big minus to competitiveness.
The utilization of ～さ does not stop with adjectives and adjectival nouns. It also attaches to all auxiliary adjectives, such as ～たい and arguably with ～ない1.
16. 幸登は故郷の讃岐うどんが食べたさに日帰りで帰省することにした。
Wanting to eat his hometown’s Sanuki udon, Yukito decided to go back home for the day.
17. 魚の美味いとんかつ屋っていう意味のわからなさ2に惹かれちゃったもん。
I ended up bein’ so drawn to just how it didn’t make sense that the fish at a tonkatsu place would be so good.
As another example at how prolific ～さ is used in the Japanese lexicon, it even appears with adjectival phrases that have otherwise fallen out of use. As a primary example of this, we have the difference between 静かさ and 静けさ. Both phrases involve the adjectival stem /shidzu-/, but while the former comes from 静かだ, an adjectival noun meaning “to be quiet,” the latter comes from 静けし, an adjective meaning “to be calm,” which has since fallen out of use. Ultimately, 静かさ refers to the “(degree) of quietness,” while 静けさ refers to “serenity/calm.”
18. まるで嵐の前の静けさだね。
It’s the lull before the storm.
19. あまりの部屋の静かさに音楽をずっとかけていないとしんどくなる。
Extreme quiet in a room becomes harder to deal with when you haven’t had music playing the whole time.
While ～さ is heavily used, not every word starting with an adjectival morpheme that then happens to also end in /-sa/ is an example of it. A great example of such a false friend is the word 大げさ, which is incidentally an adjectival noun meaning “grandiose.” Etymologically, it is quite unique, deriving from 大- and 袈裟 (from 袈裟懸け meaning “slashing someone diagonally from the shoulders”). As nouns made with the affix ～さ are nouns, we can tell from the presence of な in Ex. 20 that is not one and the same.
20. 大袈裟な演技を控え目にしていたのが好印象でした。
Their keeping exaggerated acting to a minimal left a good impression.
On a case-by-case basis, depending on whether an adjectival noun can, in fact, also be used as a noun, ～さ may not be grammatical necessary. For this to be the case, the use of the word itself needs to be concrete enough not to warrant implying a degree to whatever quality is described by the noun. In Ex. 21, we see that 無鉄砲 by itself can mean “reckless behavior.” Compare this with 無鉄砲さ in Ex. 22, which translates as “recklessness.”
21. 親譲りの無鉄砲で子供の時から損ばかりしている。
He inherited his reckless behavior and has only suffered from it since he was a child.
From『坊ちゃん』by 夏目漱石.
22. 武夫君のあまりの無鉄砲さに呆れている。
I’m astonished at Takeo-kun’s excessive recklessness.
While Ex. 21 was an example of ～さ not being grammatically necessary, Ex. 23 is an example of ～さ not necessarily being the most natural word choice, which is not the same thing as being ungrammatical. At times, another wording may be more natural, and here we see that ～性, which is heavily used with Sino-Japanese vocabulary, is oftentimes more prevalent to match the tone of the sentence.
23. 土地の値段は面積や｛利便性 ◎・利便さ 〇・便利さ △｝などの要因で異なります。
The price of land changes due to factors such as square measure, convenience, etc.
Oddly enough, both 利便 and 便利 are Sino-Japanese adjectival-nouns, but they differ in speech register. The former is used in rather formal contexts and also seldom heard in isolation, whereas the latter is far more prolifically used in everyday speech. This is the primary factor as to why 便利さ is marked as △.
～み
Whereas the affix ～さ is the basic means of turning an adjective/adjectival noun into a standalone noun, a noun which notably pertains to degree by nature, the affix ～み serves the same grammatical function of nominalization for adjectives and adjectival nouns, but its scope is limited. While ～さ is viewed as being an objective measure of some quality in noun form, ～み is viewed as being a subjective measure of how an individual feels about a quality in noun form.
The traditional view on the modern use of ～み can be described as follows:
- 1. Indicates that a place exhibits a certain quality—e.g. 深み (depths), 高み (heights), 明るみ (bright place).
| Adjective | ＋～み | Meaning |
| 浅い | 浅み | shallow place (river, etc.) |
| 深い | 深み | deep place (river, etc.) |
| 低い | 低み | low-lying area |
| 高い | 高み | elevated place |
| 明るい | 明るみ | bright place/public place |
| 暗い | 暗み | dark place |
| 厚い | 厚み | solid stone3 |
| 痛い | 傷み | wear; bruise |
| 繁し4 | 茂み | thicket |
| 黒い | 黒み | [black/dark] spot |
24. 深みに嵌ってしまい、気づいたら１０年以上が経ってしまった。
I feel in too deep, and by the time I realized it, over 10 years had passed.
25. その実態が明るみに出された。
The reality was brought to light.
26. 蛇が茂みの中で蠢いている。
A snake is squirming in the grove.
27. 畳の傷みを隠すために絨毯を敷いてみました。
I laid down a carpet to hide damage to my tatami mats.
28. 浅みに鯉。
Literally: Carp in the shallows.
Having unexpected luck.
29. 宇宙の高みから見下ろしたようなこの叙述に対して、もう一方の叙述は地面を這いずるようにして書かれている。
While this description is written as though (the writer) were looking from a cosmic height, the other description is written as though (the writer) were crawling on the ground.
30. 低みに溜まった雪融け水が光って見えてます。
The meltwater that has accumulated in this low-lying spot is glistening.
- 2. Indicates degree and/or condition in which a given nature or quality is true from an abstract, highly subjective, personal standpoint—e.g. 厚み (thickness/profundity), 重み (weight/burden), 苦み (bitterness).
In either case, the traditional extent to which ～み is productive in the Japanese lexicon is severely limited, with it being almost exclusively limited to adjectives (形容詞), and further almost exclusively limited to adjectives that are not compound words.
| ＋～み | Meaning(s) | ＋～み | Meaning(s) |
| 赤み | 1. reddish tinge 2. blush | 温かみ | warmth |
| 厚み | 1. thickness 2. profundity | 甘み | 1. sweetness 2. sweets |
| 有難み | 1. worth/virtue | 痛み | 1. pain 2. grief |
| うまみ | 1. good taste 2. umami5 3. skill 4. gain; benefit | おかしみ | drollery |
| 重み | 1. weight 2. significance 3. burden | 面白み | appeal |
| 辛み | 1. hot/salty6 taste 2. piquancy | 悲しみ | sadness |
| 痒み | itchiness | 軽み7 | lightness |
| 黄み | yellowness | 黄色み | yellowness |
| 臭み | 1. bad smell 2. fulsomeness | 暗み | darkness |
| 苦しみ | suffering | 黒み | black tinge |
| 渋み | 1. astringency 2. refinement | 白み | white hue |
| 酸っぱみ8 | sourness | 凄み | 1. ghastliness9 2. intimidation |
| 楽しみ | fun | 辛み10 | pent-up resentment |
| 強み | 1. strength 2. forte | とろみ | thick consistency |
| 懐かしみ | nostalgia | 苦み | 1. bitterness (taste) 2. bitter feelings |
| 憎しみ | hatred | 深み | depth; profundity |
| 細み | hosomi11 | 丸み | 1. roundness 2. mellowness |
| 柔らかみ | touch of softness | 弱み | 1. weakness 2. shortcoming |
For examples such as 辛み・辛味, 甘み・甘味, and うまみ・旨味 which pertain to flavor, ～み is often written in kanji as 味. The same can also be said for examples regarding color such as with 赤み・赤味. This ateji can be extended to all instances of ～み with varying rates of use.
31. 母が亡くなって、初めて有難みを実感した。
It was after my mother passing away that I truly felt grateful.
32. 後味に甘みが口の中に広がった。
A sweet aftertaste spread throughout my mouth.
33. ワサビやカラシ、ネギなどの辛味は、舌や鼻へのつーんとした刺激として知覚される。
The spiciness of (foods) such as wasabi, mustard, and green onions is perceived as a sharp, irritating sensation on the tongue and in the nose.
34. 焼酎は本来、熟成させることで味に丸みが出てくるものだ。
The flavor of shochu naturally becomes rounded as it is aged.
35. 私はコンビニ弁当のカレーに「酸っぱみ」を感じます。微妙な添加物の違いで苦みとかも感じるのでは？
I personally experience a “sour” taste in convenience store-bought bento curry. Maybe you are experiencing a “bitter” taste due to some subtle differences in the additives?
36. 渋みのある陶器やガラスで出来た杯や骨董品などが展示されていた。
On display were antiques and cups made of rustic pottery and glass.
37. 高専が、専門分野の即戦力を育成することを強味としているので、工業系の高専であればそのような職につく率は極めて高いと言われる。
Since technical colleges have the leverage of nurturing (students) into immediate assets for specialized fields, it is said that (students) from industrial technical colleges have an extremely high rate of success in finding such jobs.
38. 改革派は資本主義に重みを置いているが、保守派は国家に重みを置いている。
The reformists are placing emphasis on capitalism, while the conservatives are placing emphasis on the nation.
39. 先日、居酒屋で食べたイカのお刺身が、少し黄色みを帯びていた。
The squid sashimi I had at an izakaya the other day was a little yellowish.
40. 懐かしみのある空間づくりにしっくりと馴染みます。
(It) blends in perfectly with creating a nostalgic space.
～みがかった
When coupled with a color adjective, the affix ～み is commonly followed by the affix ～がかった to produce 連体詞 adjectival phrases which equate to equivalent color expressions ending in “-ish” in English.
41. タケノコの皮の色が褐色で黒味がかったものをクロコ、赤味がかったものをシロコと呼びます。
Bamboo shoots with dark-brown, blackish sheaths are called “kuroki,” and those with reddish sheaths are called “shiroko.”
～さ vs ～み with Adjectives of “Emotion”
While distinguishing between word pairs like 強さ (“physical” strength) vs 強み (“abstract” strength), 厚さ (“physical” thickness”) vs 厚み (“abstract” thickness), etc. is straightforward—～さ indicating physical/concrete extent vs ～み indicating an extent in an abstract/subjective context—learners struggle the most discerning between word pairs made with adjectives pertaining to emotions themselves. This is because “emotions” are subjective by personal and subjective by nature. That being said, we will look at four word pairs that cause the most confusion.
悲しさ vs 悲しみ
Though “sadness” is subjective, when a speaker chooses to use 悲しさ instead of 悲しみ, the “sadness” described is portrayed as that which is or would be held by people in general.
42. 人間の悲しさを知ることから愛が生まれる。
Love is born from knowing human sadness.
Meanwhile, 悲しみ is highly personal (subjective), but a word of caution that can be said for all instances of ～み is that that cannot be misconstrued as a grammatical person restriction to first person, which is not the case at all (See Ex. 43).
43. イギリスのエリザベス女王が死去したことを受け、岸田首相は「深い悲しみを禁じ得ない。心から哀悼の意を表する」と述べました。
Following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Kishida made his remark stating, “I am overwhelmed with deep sadness (from the news of her passing). I offer my heartfelt condolences.”
痛さ vs 痛み
While 痛さ is a physical measure or extent of “pain,” 痛み is the personal sensation of feeling “pain,” which only the person experiencing it can truly describe, has the most application in practice for meaning “pain” itself.
44. 日本語には、「びりびり」、「じんじん」、「ちくちく」などのように痛みを表すオノマトペがたくさんある。
Japanese has many onomatopoeia for expressing pain such as “biribiri,” “jinjin,” and “chikuchiku.”
45. この痛さは、我慢できない。
I can’t bear this level of pain.
苦しさ vs 苦しみ
While 痛い and 苦しい may both translate as “painful,” 苦しい expresses a wider range of distressing scenarios, emphasizing both physical and mental strain. Upon being nominalized, 苦しさ pertains to duress tied to physical strain, whereas 苦しみ pertains to (often dire,) emotional duress.
46. コロナ禍の苦しみを経て、高速バスがようやく復調しています。
After going through the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic, express-bus services are finally recovering.
47. 呼吸の苦しさに耐えかねてジョギングを止めることにした。
Unable to bear the shortness of breath, I decided to stop jogging.
楽しさ vs 楽しみ
What one describes as “fun” could be another person’s worst nightmare. However, if a certain activity were viewed as “fun” by the same group of people, then that would bring objectivity to that emotionally based description. This is the basis for using 楽しさ over 楽しみ.
48. 科学の楽しさを体験できる催しが目白押し！
(The venue) is packed with events where you can experience the fun of science!
Meanwhile, if what is “fun” is not mutually experienced by others, then the “fun” is limited to what the individual feels, making 楽しみ the right word choice.
49. 毎日の楽しみはありますか？
Do you have something to look forward to every day?
面白さ vs 面白み
Similarly to the notion of “fun,” what is “interesting” is also naturally subjective, but if that “interest” factor is viewed in a ubiquitous light, 面白さ is used as opposed to 面白み. 面白み, on the other hand, refers to the “alluring” element that appeals to people at a personal level.
50. ポケモンの面白さを世界中の皆さんに知ってもらいたいです。
I want everyone around the world to know how fascinating Pokémon is.
51. やればできることだけを研究テーマにするのは、面白みに欠けます。
Choosing a research topic that is solely something can be done if you try lacks appeal.
/-mi/ or /…m-i/?
Quite a few adjectives possess verbal forms created by following their stems with the affix /-mu/. Consequently, the 連用形 of these verbs end in /mi/. This results in two possible etymologies for nouns derived from these adjectives.
| Adjective | ＋～み | 連用形 of +～む |
| 悲しい → 悲しみ | sadness | being sad |
| 痛い → 痛み | pain | hurting |
| 哀れな → 憐れみ | pity | feeling compassion |
| 嫌な → 嫌み | disagreeableness | detesting |
The two exceptional cases of ～み attaching to 形容動詞 within its historical range of use in Modern Japanese happen to be 憐れみ and 嫌み. However, as is the case with all these examples, determining whether one is actually looking at the affix ～み or the 連用形 of ～む is an almost pointless endeavor, forcing the reader to have to consider the exact syntactic role of the resultant word from the surrounding context for discerning a nearly completely synonymous dichotomy12.
52. 憐れみを乞う。
To beg for [pity/(others) to feel compassion for (oneself)].
New ～み Expressions
While ～み has largely been restricted to lexicalized instances, almost of all of which have been listed in the previous charts, upon entering the 21st century, its range of use has rapidly expanded. Initially, examples such as 嬉しみ, 寂しみ, etc. provided a a renaissance of sorts, a description which will make sense once we conclude this section by seeing historical drift (変遷) found with ～み’s productivity. However, the most sensational factor behind ～み’s expansion has been that not even part of speech matters so long as the phrase that attaches to describes a quality worth highlighting its emotional value, from a subjective standpoint of course.
Such examples are referred to as 新しい「～み」 in Japanese grammar discussions, but the greatest takeaway is that the meaning of ～み itself has not changed. ～み, as we have learned, expresses a subjective state, emotions, and sensations grasped by the subject in a holistic fashion. Rather than using adverbs like すごく or とても to express how one feels, new ～み are being coined to provide a new, impactful form of expression.
Attached to Adjectives
Unorthodox appearances of ～み are least problematic to speakers, but the majority of speakers still find these instances unnatural.
53. 昔の物語なのにむしろ新しみを感じるのよ。
Even though it’s a super old story, it feels so fresh to me!
54. うちの猫はかわいみに溢れてるにゃん！
My kitty is just brimming with cuteness! Meow!!
55. ATMの行列が長すぎてやばみ・・・
The line to this ATM is insane……
56. 男性用にしてもこのビキニの短みが気になるな！
I get that this speedo is for men, but man, how short it is is sure bothering me!
57. リプ返し嬉しみが深い・・・
I’m super happy that you wrote back to me…
Attached to Nouns
Instances after nouns are exceptionally rare, but nouns that are beginning to be seen with ～み all have the commonality of being a specific entity, with those specific qualities embodying the feel behind them.
58. カセキポケモンみを感じるｗ
This really gives off a “fossil Pokémon” vibe lol
59. 最近服がドレスみを帯びている。
The clothes (I’ve been wearing) lately have been giving off “dress” vibes.
Attached to Pronouns/Numbers/Interjections
Even more rare than the previous scenarios are instances of ～み following pronouns, interjections, and even numbers.
60. すごく私みを感じるｗｗｗ
This just screams “me” LMAO
61. ありがとみ\( ˆoˆ )/
This sure gives a “thank you” vibe! \( ˆoˆ )/
62. その写真の猫のシルエット２みあるよね。
The silhouette in the picture gives off the vibe that there are two cats, huh!
Cited from 『名詞化接尾辞「―み」の新しい用法について」』by 有馬桃子.
Attached to Onomatopoeia
Unorthodox instances of ～み with onomatopoeia have somewhat high acceptance rates, but it is also worth noting that とろみ (thick consistency) mentioned earlier is onomatopoeic in origin, so it is not as though this is a unique phenomenon.
63. ドキドキみが収まらない！
I can’t control this “heart-throbbing” feeling inside me!
64. もちもちみがあり、毛布みたいにふわふわ！
It’s got this springy texture, almost like being fluffy like a blanket!
Attached to the 連用形 of Verbs
Though not applied blanketly to verbs, for the ones that ～み is attaching to their 連用形, it appears that ～み will be here to stay. It is especially common in social media posts to see instances of ～み combined with the auxiliary adjective ending ～たい, producing ～たみ.
65. 実装されたばっかのキャラなんだけど、ちょっと壊れみ・・・
So, about this character that just got implemented (into the game), it feels kinda broken……
67. テイラー君の話はマジでわかりみが｛強い・深い｝わ。
What Taylor-kun’s sayin’ is sooo understandable!
68. 食べたみが無限！
The things to wanna eat are endless!
69. お腹減った。おうち帰りたみ。
So hungry; wantin’ to go home.
Attached to Adjectival Nouns
As is about to highlighted next, in Early Modern Japanese, instances of ～み attaching to Sino-Japanese vocabulary, though obligatorily spelled as 味, have existed for quite some time, but for the examples shown below, the “colloquial” feel derives from just how newly coined these instances happen to be.
70. このホテルは非日常空間を演出した高級味のあるホテルだ。
This hotel is a hotel with such a luxurious feel which creates an extraordinary atmosphere.
71. 新しい機能の増加で便利味が増してきている。
The refreshing convenience (of this product) has been mounting with the addition of new features.
～味
～み appearing with adjectival nouns is not entirely a modern invent. In Early Modern Japanese, examples could be found with Sino-Japanese vocabulary, but it was most often spelled in ateji with the kanji 味. The purpose in doing so was and is to highlight appeal/significance (味わい) of the emotional sensation at hand. Yet, this use of ateji was rare with native vocabulary, perhaps being the primary reason for why its usage in the lexicon shrunk into the modern era.
72. 開始１分前に参加とは真剣味が足りない。
Joining just one minute before the start doesn’t show that you’re serious enough (about it).
73. 新鮮味に欠ける企画だ。
This project lacks a refreshing feel to it.
74. 雑味や泥臭さといった現実味が一切感じられない。
There is no sense of realism or rough-on-the-edges feel to it whatsoever.
75. 押しては引く、その駆け引きが戦いの妙味を生み出すのだ。
The maneuvering of when to push forth and pull back is what give battling its charm.
Early Modern Japanese Instances of ～み
In the not too distant past as we are learning, ～み could be “traditionally” seen with a number of adjectives which, up until the last few decades, have not been seen used with it in over a century. Such examples, which can be easily found in literary works of the day, include but are not exclusive to the following:
76. 新しみは俳諧の花也。
Novelty is the beauty of haikai.
From 『俳諧・三冊子』
77. 別れて我独りになって帰る時、始めて主人の事を思ひ出し、是から恐味が付て
Upon returning home all on my lonesome from having departed from him is when I first thought of my husband, and that is when a sense of fear crept onto me…
From 『風流曲三味線』by 浮世草子.
78. 彼は故郷の土を踏む珍しさのうちに一種の淋し味さえ感じた。
He even felt a certain loneliness in the novelty of treading the soil of his homeplace.
From 『道草』by 夏目漱石.
These examples provide a historical background to the renaissance of sorts occurring with ～み’s modern expansion, and they also demonstrate how it has always presented an abstract, emotional layering of nuance to whatever adjective it attaches to.
Social Media Slang?
One practical restriction to these new ～み expressions is that they are not nearly as used in the spoken language as they are in social media posts. In fairness, the phenomenon itself first became apparent, largely online, in the early 2000s, but what makes this emerging grammar different than an online fad is the fact that it continues to gain momentum, enough for it to now bleed into the spoken language. Meaning, if you are reading this lesson in 2035, you will have undoubtedly heard unorthodox ～み forms in anime, the speech of your Japanese friends, etc., but in the present day (2025), 違和感・非文 judgments are still high.
参照
名詞化接尾辞「―み」の新しい用法について」by 有馬桃子.
感情を表す「さ名詞」と「み名詞」について by 加藤恵梨.
- Examples of ～なさ are few and far between. For the overwhelming majority of theoretically possible combinations, its utility is not warranted, as a sense of “degree” ought to be attributed to any instance of ～さ, and while “the degree to which one does not do something” or “the degree to which what does not occur” are valid notions, utilizing other patterns such as ～にくさ, 不～さ, etc. are provide this nuance far more clearly, rendering any instance of ～なさ reliant on external grammatical phenomena. ↩︎
- The reason for why わからなさ is perhaps the only definitive example of ～なさ being both natural and grammatical may have to do with how わかる itself is a stative-transitive predicate that is intrinsically tied to how far an individual’s understanding goes. In most contexts, though, other paraphrases such as 意味不明さ would be expected. ↩︎
- Stone in the game of go that cannot be so easily captured. ↩︎
- The Classical Japanese 形容詞（ク活用）茂し describes foliage being “thick.” Though the modern form 繁い does exist, it is essentially only used in the 連用形 and with the affix ～み. ↩︎
- “Umami” is the fifth category of taste in food. Not only is the word an example of the affix ～み, but it has also entered the English language. ↩︎
- Historically, the sensations “salty” and “spicy” have been expressed in Japanese with the same word. In Modern Japanese, 辛い solely means “spicy,” but it still retains the meaning of “salty” in Western Japanese dialects and when spelled in kanji as 鹹い. ↩︎
- “Light tone” refers to the expression of the aesthetics of everyday scenarios in a simple, honest fashion. With this meaning, the reading かろみ has historically been preferred, reflecting how 軽い being read as かるい is a feature of Eastern Japanese dialects. In Modern Japanese, however, かるみ is now the prevalent reading. ↩︎
- 酸っぱい is the predominant word form for “sour” in Modern Japanese due to influence from Eastern Japanese dialects, but its basic iteration is, in fact, 酸い, which was showcased in the set phrase mentioned in Ex. 1. While 酸み is grammatically correct, the Sino-Japanese equivalent 酸味 is actually more common than either 酸っぱみ or 酸み. Additionally, the word form しょっぱみ also exists, given that しょっぱい is an Eastern Japanese dialectal variation of すっぱい. ↩︎
- While 凄い is popularized for its meaning of “awesome,” the colloquial take does derive from a more poignant meaning of “stunning” in a terrifying sense. ↩︎
- 辛（つら）み is occasionally labeled as an instance of a new ～み word form, but it is not a recent invent, as it is also found in set expressions like 恨み辛み (grudges and hard feelings). ↩︎
- A concept in haiku composition which the poet delves into an external object with delicate sensitivity. ↩︎
- There is dialectal variation, however, that preserves this dichotomy. The affix ～む may alternatively appear as ～ぶ. While this is viewed as sounding “old-fashioned” in the context of Standard Japanese, this dialectal variation derives from [b] being more accurately pronounced as [mb] in earlier stages of the language—e.g. 憐れみ → 憐れび. ↩︎