狭い
semai
A room and a heart can both be 'narrow'
The picture Both walls move in toward your body until there is no room left to straighten your elbows. 狭い is both sides closing in on you; 広い is both sides moving apart.
Where the picture shows up in 狭い
-
a cramped space
この部屋は狭いです。
kono heya wa semai desu
This room is cramped.
The bed goes in and the door only half opens, so you enter sideways
-
a narrow road
道が狭いので車が通れません。
michi ga semai node kuruma ga tōre-masen
The road is narrow, so cars can't get through.
One bicycle just squeezing between two walls in an alley
-
a tight seat
席が狭くて足が伸ばせません。
seki ga semaku-te ashi ga nobase-masen
The seat is tight, I can't stretch my legs.
Knees against the seatback in front, feet crossed off to one side
-
a narrow view
考えが狭いと損をします。
kangae ga semai to son o shi-masu
You lose out if your thinking is narrow.
Eyes locked on one sheet, blind to the stack piled beside it
-
a narrow heart
心が狭い人だと思われます。
kokoro ga semai hito da to omowa-re-masu
People will think you're small-minded.
One tiny mistake pointed at with a finger and never let go of
心が狭い describes someone who can't let small things pass.
All of it in one picture
狭い is one picture: both sides closing in. Closing in in a room and there's nowhere to turn; closing in on a road and no car gets through; closing in at a seat and your legs won't straighten. Closing in in your thinking and you can't see the other side; closing in in your heart and even a small thing has no room to be let go.