脆弱

Chinese

		brittle; fragile; crisp brittle; fragile; crisp; clear and loud voice; neat	weak; feeble; young weak; feeble; young; inferior
trad. (脆弱)		脆	弱
simp. ^#(脆弱)		脆	弱

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): cuìruò

(Zhuyin): ㄘㄨㄟˋ ㄖㄨㄛˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): ceoi³ joek⁶
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): chhùi-lio̍k / chhùi-jio̍k

(Teochew, Peng'im): cui³ riag⁸
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵tshoe-zaq₈

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: cuìruò
  - Zhuyin: ㄘㄨㄟˋ ㄖㄨㄛˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: cuèiruò
  - Wade–Giles: tsʻui⁴-jo⁴
  - Yale: tswèi-rwò
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsueyruoh
  - Palladius: цуйжо (cujžo)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: ceoi³ joek⁶
  - Yale: cheui yeuhk
  - Cantonese Pinyin: tsoey³ joek⁹
  - Guangdong Romanization: cêu³ yêg⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɵy̯³³ jœːk̚²/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhùi-lio̍k
  - Tâi-lô: tshuì-lio̍k
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhuieliok
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰui⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ liɔk̚²⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /t͡sʰui¹¹⁻⁵³ liɔk̚⁴/
  - IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sʰui²¹⁻⁵³ liɔk̚⁴/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhùi-jio̍k
  - Tâi-lô: tshuì-jio̍k
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhuiejiok
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sʰui²¹⁻⁵³ d͡ziɔk̚¹²¹/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰui²¹⁻⁴¹ ziɔk̚⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: cui³ riag⁸
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tshùi jia̍k
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰui²¹³⁻⁵⁵ d͡ziak̚⁴/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁵tshoe-zaq₈
  - MiniDict: tshoe^去 zah^入
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²tshoe-zaq₅
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡sʰø³³ zaʔ⁴⁴/

Adjective

脆弱

(of physical strength) weak; frail
(of character, disposition) vulnerable; weak; fragile; susceptible

Synonyms

(weak):

edit

冉弱 (rǎnruò) (literary)
單薄 / 单薄 (dānbó)
孤單 / 孤单 (gūdān)
孱弱 (chánruò) (literary)
弱 (ruò)
微弱 (wēiruò)
柔弱 (róuruò)
瘦弱 (shòuruò)
瘦瘠 (shòují)
羸弱 (léiruò)
荏弱 (Hokkien)
薄弱 (bóruò)
虛弱 / 虚弱 (xūruò)
虛荏 / 虚荏 (Xiamen Hokkien, Zhangzhou Hokkien)
虛虧 / 虚亏 (xūkuī)
虧弱 / 亏弱 (kuīruò)
衰弱 (shuāiruò)
軟弱 / 软弱 (ruǎnruò)
軟蔫蔫 / 软蔫蔫 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
軟䭕 / 软𬲕 (Hokkien, Teochew)
雌 (cí) (literary)
體弱 / 体弱 (tǐruò)

Antonyms

(antonym(s) of “weak”): 堅強／坚强 (jiānqiáng), 堅毅／坚毅 (jiānyì), 強健／强健 (qiángjiàn), 茁壯／茁壮 (zhuózhuàng)

Derived terms

脆弱性 (cuìruòxìng)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
脆	弱
ぜい Hyōgai	じゃく Grade: 2
kan'yōon	kan'on

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) ぜーじゃく [zèéjákú] (Heiban – [0])^[1]^[2]
IPA^(key): [d͡ze̞ːʑa̠kɯ̟]

Adjective

脆(ぜい)弱(じゃく) • (zeijaku) ^{←ぜいじやく (zeizyaku)^?}-na (adnominal 脆(ぜい)弱(じゃく)な (zeijaku na), adverbial 脆(ぜい)弱(じゃく)に (zeijaku ni))

vulnerable, fragile, destructible
- 2025 August 13 (last accessed), 仁比聡平 [Sōhei Nihi], quotee, “第217回国会　参議院　本会議　第16号　令和7年4月25日 [217th Diet House of Councilors Plenary Session No. 16 April 25, 2025]”, in 国会会議録検索システム [Diet Proceedings Search System]‎^[1], 国立国会図書館 [National Diet Library]:
  被災前から脆弱だった地域交通が今なお再開できない。
  Hisai mae kara zeijaku datta chiiki kōtsū ga ima nao saikai dekinai.
  Local transportation, which was already fragile even before the disaster, has still not been able to resume.

Inflection

Inflection of 脆弱

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	脆弱だろ	ぜいじゃくだろ	zeijaku daro
Continuative (連用形)	脆弱で	ぜいじゃくで	zeijaku de
Terminal (終止形)	脆弱だ	ぜいじゃくだ	zeijaku da
Attributive (連体形)	脆弱な	ぜいじゃくな	zeijaku na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	脆弱なら	ぜいじゃくなら	zeijaku nara
Imperative (命令形)	脆弱であれ	ぜいじゃくであれ	zeijaku de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	脆弱ではない脆弱じゃない	ぜいじゃくではないぜいじゃくじゃない	zeijaku de wa nai zeijaku ja nai
Informal past	脆弱だった	ぜいじゃくだった	zeijaku datta
Informal negative past	脆弱ではなかった脆弱じゃなかった	ぜいじゃくではなかったぜいじゃくじゃなかった	zeijaku de wa nakatta zeijaku ja nakatta
Formal	脆弱です	ぜいじゃくです	zeijaku desu
Formal negative	脆弱ではありません脆弱じゃありません	ぜいじゃくではありませんぜいじゃくじゃありません	zeijaku de wa arimasen zeijaku ja arimasen
Formal past	脆弱でした	ぜいじゃくでした	zeijaku deshita
Formal negative past	脆弱ではありませんでした脆弱じゃありませんでした	ぜいじゃくではありませんでしたぜいじゃくじゃありませんでした	zeijaku de wa arimasen deshita zeijaku ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	脆弱で	ぜいじゃくで	zeijaku de
Conditional	脆弱なら（ば）	ぜいじゃくなら（ば）	zeijaku nara (ba)
Provisional	脆弱だったら	ぜいじゃくだったら	zeijaku dattara
Volitional	脆弱だろう	ぜいじゃくだろう	zeijaku darō
Adverbial	脆弱に	ぜいじゃくに	zeijaku ni
Degree	脆弱さ	ぜいじゃくさ	zeijakusa

Classical conjugation of "脆弱なり" (ナリ活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	脆弱なら	ぜいじやくなら	zeizyakunara
Continuative (連用形)	脆弱に^[1] 脆弱なり^[2]	ぜいじやくにぜいじやくなり	zeizyakuni zeizyakunari
Terminal (終止形)	脆弱なり	ぜいじやくなり	zeizyakunari
Attributive (連体形)	脆弱なる	ぜいじやくなる	zeizyakunaru
Realis (已然形)	脆弱なれ	ぜいじやくなれ	zeizyakunare
Imperative (命令形)	脆弱なれ	ぜいじやくなれ	zeizyakunare
Key constructions
Negative	脆弱ならず	ぜいじやくならず	zeizyakunarazu
Contrasting conjunction	脆弱なれど	ぜいじやくなれど	zeizyakunaredo
Causal conjunction	脆弱なれば	ぜいじやくなれば	zeizyakunareba
Conditional conjunction	脆弱ならば	ぜいじやくならば	zeizyakunaraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	脆弱なりき	ぜいじやくなりき	zeizyakunariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	脆弱なりけり	ぜいじやくなりけり	zeizyakunarikeri
Adverbial	脆弱に	ぜいじやくに	zeizyakuni
^[1]Without auxiliary verb. ^[2]With auxiliary verb.

Noun

脆(ぜい)弱(じゃく) • (zeijaku) ^{←ぜいじやく (zeizyaku)^?}

vulnerability, destructibility

Derived terms

脆(ぜい)弱(じゃく)性(せい) (zeijakusei, “vulnerability”)

References

^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Yamada, Tadao et al., editors (2011), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Seventh edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

“^▲脆弱”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2025

Korean

Hanja in this term
脆	弱

Noun

脆弱 • (chwiyak) (hangeul 취약)

hanja form^? of 취약 (“vulnerability; destructibility”)

[DJR-1] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[SMK7-2] Yamada, Tadao et al., editors (2011), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Seventh edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]

[2]