Meaning
寡 pulls in two directions: toward scarcity in numbers, and toward the solitude of loss. It means few, scarce, or little in quantity — and separately, widowed or left alone. The everyday kanji 少 handles smallness in casual speech, but 寡 belongs to a different register. Weightier and more formal, it surfaces in literary writing, compound words, and contexts where smallness or dignified solitude needs to be named with precision.
The character is built on the 宀 (うかんむり) radical — the roof or crown — set above a complex lower component. Picture a dwelling under a heavy roof with almost nothing inside: few people, few possessions, near-empty rooms. That image of emptiness under shelter developed in two directions: the numerical sense of few, and the human experience of being left alone — a widow or widower remaining in a house after loss.
Classical Chinese and literary Japanese gave 寡 one more dimension: rulers used it as a humble self-reference. The phrase 孤寡 — literally "the lonely and bereaved one" — was how lords and kings spoke of themselves, signaling the isolation that comes with power. That history lingers in the character. Modern Japanese 寡 gravitates toward words naming restraint, modesty, scarcity, and dignified solitude — never quite shedding its old weight.
The character has 14 strokes and is classified under the 宀 radical. A Jōyō kanji studied at the high school level and above, it is tested at JLPT N1. Expect to find it in academic papers, journalism, and professional writing — not in everyday conversation.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi reading is カ (ka), drawn from Middle Chinese pronunciation. It is the reading used in virtually all compounds, spanning formal vocabulary across several domains: scarcity, quantity, silence, widowhood, and limited creative output.
Key compounds using カ:
- 寡黙 (kamoku) — taciturn, reticent; a person who speaks very little by nature
- 寡占 (kasen) — oligopoly; a market controlled by a small number of dominant sellers
- 寡婦 (kafu) — widow; a woman who has lost her husband
- 多寡 (taka) — quantity, amount; whether something is many or few
- 寡聞 (kabun) — limited knowledge or experience; used in humble expressions
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi やもめ (yamome) describes a widow or widower — someone left alone after losing their spouse. Less clinical than 寡婦, it carries a quieter human weight. Writing it with the kanji 寡 rather than in plain hiragana lends a more literary, formal tone to the word.
Rare in everyday speech, やもめ surfaces in literature, older texts, and poetry:
- 寡 (yamome) — widow or widower; one who lives alone after the death of a spouse
- 男寡 (otoko yamome) — widower; a man living alone after his wife has passed
- 女寡 (onna yamome) — widow; a woman living alone after her husband has passed
Common Words & Compounds
Nearly all compounds use the on'yomi カ, appearing in formal writing, economics, social commentary, and literary criticism.
Personality and Speech
- 寡黙 (kamoku) — taciturn, reticent; describes someone quiet by nature who speaks very little
- 寡言 (kagen) — speaking little; a literary synonym for 寡黙, emphasizing minimal verbal expression
- 寡欲 (kayoku) — few desires; describes a modest person content with little
Knowledge and Awareness
- 寡聞 (kabun) — limited knowledge; used in humble expressions such as 寡聞にして存じません (I'm not aware of that)
- 寡見 (kaken) — narrow perspective; a literary term for intellectual modesty
Economics and Quantity
- 寡占 (kasen) — oligopoly; a market where a handful of companies dominate supply
- 多寡 (taka) — quantity; how much or how little something is; common in the phrase 多寡はともかく (regardless of the amount)
- 寡少 (kashō) — scanty, meager; used of sparse populations or limited resources
Marital Status and Solitude
- 寡婦 (kafu) — widow; a woman whose husband has died
- 寡夫 (kafu) — widower; a man whose wife has died (same reading, written with 夫)
- 孤寡 (koka) — lonely and bereaved; historically used as a ruler's humble self-reference
Creative Output
- 寡作 (kasaku) — producing few works; used of an author, artist, or composer with a small body of output
- 寡兵 (kahei) — small force; used in military and historical contexts for an outnumbered army
Example Sentences
彼は寡黙な人で、あまり話しません。
Kare wa kamoku na hito de, amari hanashimasen.
He is a taciturn person and doesn't talk much.
寡黙な性格が、かえって彼の魅力だと思う。
Kamoku na seikaku ga, kaette kare no miryoku da to omou.
I think his reticent nature is actually part of his charm.
その市場は三つの大企業による寡占状態にある。
Sono shijō wa mittsu no daikigyō ni yoru kasen jōtai ni aru.
That market is in a state of oligopoly controlled by three major corporations.
多寡はともかく、毎日練習することが大切だ。
Taka wa tomokaku, mainichi renshū suru koto ga taisetsu da.
Regardless of the amount, what matters is practicing every day.
寡聞にして、その件については存じません。
Kabun ni shite, sono ken ni tsuite wa zonjimasen.
Due to my limited knowledge, I am not aware of that matter.
あの作家は寡作で、生涯に三冊しか出版しなかった。
Ano sakka wa kasaku de, shōgai ni sansatsu shika shuppan shinakatta.
That author produced very few works, publishing only three books in their lifetime.
夫を亡くし、彼女は寡婦となった。
Otto wo nakushi, kanojo wa kafu to natta.
Having lost her husband, she became a widow.
寡欲に生きることで、心の平和を保てると信じている。
Kayoku ni ikiru koto de, kokoro no heiwa wo tamoteru to shinjite iru.
I believe that living with few desires allows one to maintain peace of mind.
この地域は人口が寡少で、過疎化が進んでいる。
Kono chiiki wa jinkō ga kashō de, kasoka ga susunde iru.
This region has a sparse population, and depopulation is steadily advancing.
寡兵をもって大軍に立ち向かうのは無謀だ。
Kahei wo motte taigun ni tachimukau no wa mubō da.
It is reckless to face a large army with only a small force.
Memory Tip
Picture an old house under a heavy 宀 roof — but inside, almost nothing. Empty rooms. Quiet hallways. The one person still living there is a widow: few words (寡黙), few desires (寡欲), few works left behind (寡作). That weight pressing down on emptiness is the whole kanji in one image — scarcity and solitude held under the same roof. For the sound, tie カ (ka) to the phrase "can hardly find any" — because that is what 寡 names: things too scarce to count.