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弱い

yowai

Weak with drink too — 弱い is force draining away

The picture Force draining away, so the smallest push makes it wobble or collapse. 弱い collapses at the first push; 強い stands firm however hard you push.

Describing words

Where the picture shows up in 弱い

  1. a person's force drained

    私は力が弱いので、手伝ってください。

    watashi wa chikara ga yowai node, tetsudatte kudasai

    I'm not strong, so please give me a hand.

    Gripping the handles of a box but the arms shaking and not lifting it

  2. draining a flame

    火を少し弱くしてください。

    hi o sukoshi yowaku shite kudasai

    Please turn the heat down a little.

    Turning the gas knob and the flame flattening to a low ring

    弱くする = to make it weaker, i.e. to turn it down.

  3. cannot hold out

    この機械は水に弱いです。

    kono kikai wa mizu ni yowai desu

    This machine is bad with water.

    One drop of water landing on it and the screen going dead

    〜に弱い = cannot take something.

  4. the body cannot hold out

    お酒に弱いので、一杯だけにします。

    o-sake ni yowai node, ippai dake ni shimasu

    I'm a lightweight, so just one glass for me.

    Cheeks already red after a single glass

    お酒に弱い is exactly what you say at a drinking party.

  5. a signal drained

    ここは電波が弱いです。

    koko wa denpa ga yowai desu

    The reception here is weak.

    One flickering bar left on the phone's antenna display

All of it in one picture

弱い is one picture: the force has drained away, so nothing holds. Drain it from your arms and the box will not come up; drain it from the flame on purpose and the pot settles to a quiet simmer. When a machine cannot hold out against water, it is weak to water; when your body cannot hold out against one glass, you are weak with drink. Drain it from the signal and the voice on the phone keeps breaking up.

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