Illustration: In an office break room, one employee is dividing the last two steamed buns between himself and a colleague. He has hidden the larger, plump bun behind his back while ceremoniously presenting the tiny, misshapen one on a saucer.

JLPT N1i-adjectiveLevel estimated by Bebop

さもしい

samoshii

mean-spirited, petty

Example sentences

  1. 今いまの文学青年ぶんがくせいねんはセンチメンタルになることを怖こわれている。これも傷きずつけられるのを怖こわれる一種いっしゅのさもしい心こころのあらわれかも知しれない。

    Today’s young aspiring writers are afraid of becoming sentimental. Perhaps this, too, reflects a kind of petty fear of being hurt.

    Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · English by AI · Source

  2. 人ひとの失敗しっぱいを喜よろこぶなんて、さもしい考かんがえだ。

    Taking pleasure in someone else’s failure is mean-spirited.

    Written by AI for Bebop

  3. お金かねのために友達ともだちにうそをつくのは、さもしい行為こういだ。

    Lying to a friend for money is a selfish thing to do.

    Written by AI for Bebop

A word like this on every new tab

The Bebop Chrome extension shows one illustrated Japanese word each time you open a new tab in Chrome, with its reading, meaning, kanji and three example sentences. Choose any mix of levels from N5 to beyond N1. It’s free, with no account.

The Bebop new tab showing 音楽, music, over an illustration of a family playing music at home, with three example sentences
Add to Chrome Free on the Chrome Web Store
For Chrome on a computer. See it on the Chrome Web Store