み

The suffix み attaches to the stem of certain い-adjectives (and a few な-adjectives) to form nouns that express a quality, sensation, or condition. It is similar to the English suffix "-ness" or "-ity," but carries a nuance of something tangible, felt, or perceived rather than a purely abstract measurement.

Formation

Remove the final い from an い-adjective and add み:

• ぶかい深い (deep) → ふか深み (depth)
• あまい甘い (sweet) → あま甘み (sweetness)
• かなしい悲しい (sad) → かなし悲しみ (sadness)
• いたい痛い (painful) → いた痛み (pain)
• あたたかい温かい (warm) → あたたか温かみ (warmth)
• つよい強い (strong) → つよ強み (strength, strong point)
• よわい弱い (weak) → よわ弱み (weakness, weak point)

み vs. さ

Both み and さ nominalize adjectives, but they differ in nuance. さ expresses an objective, measurable degree (e.g. たか高さ = height as a measurement), while み expresses a subjective quality or sensation that one can feel or perceive (e.g. あたたか温かみ = a feeling of warmth).

Compare with あま甘さ, which would refer to a measurable level of sweetness (e.g. "the sweetness is 50%").

Here, あたたか温かみ conveys a perceived, emotional warmth – あたたか温かさ would refer more to literal temperature.

Common words formed with み

Many み-nouns are used as standalone vocabulary:

• たのし楽しみ – enjoyment, something to look forward to
• かなし悲しみ – sadness, grief
• くるし苦しみ – suffering, anguish
• いた痛み – pain
• つよ強み – strength, forte
• よわ弱み – weakness, vulnerability
• うまみ – umami, savory taste

Important notes

Not all い-adjectives can take み. It is more limited than さ. Adjectives that commonly take み tend to describe qualities that can be sensed or felt – tastes, emotions, physical sensations, and perceived characteristics. When in doubt, check whether a particular み-form is used.