哀/ 悲

[Rinilex]

I've seen both used for かなしみ several times; what's the difference in nuance between the two? If I had to make a guess I'd say 哀 seems a little more archaic or poetic? Or more towards the meaning of 'grief' than 'sadness'? I'm probably way off the mark...

 

[Yzlot]

I found this site that you can check out yourself if you can read it.
「哀しい」と「悲しい」の違い。 - 国語 - 教えて！goo

From what I can make out of it, 哀しい seems to signify more than just simple sadness, and closer to the lines of 'heart-wrenching', so 'grief' might not be too far off the mark. 哀しい appears to be more complicated, and stems from multiple sources, rather than just sadness as 悲しい is used for.

 

[Toritoribe]

If I had to make a guess I'd say 哀 seems a little more archaic or poetic

There is only one kun'yomi あわ(れ) for 哀 in the Jōyō kanji list, thus, かな(しい) is out of Jōyō reading. Probably that's one of the reasons you feel so.

 

[Rinilex]

Thanks, guys!

@ Yzlot - That's what I thought... it's hard to put into words, but 哀 seemed more... profound than just 悲, in the way you might say you're sad you've lost your favourite pencil vs. a more complex emotion in a deeper situation?

@ Toritoribe - I see! I wasn't aware of that. I've actually seen it used in songs that use an older style of Japanese or aim for a very poetic feel in the lyrics, so I think that's where I got that impression. That and 哀れ stems from the Heian period , I think? I remember coming it across at some point while reading The Tale of the Heike...