控えめ
ひかえめ
Also written 控え目
Meanings
- な-adjective, の-adjective, Noun moderate; reserved; modest; temperate; restrained; low-key; conservative (estimate); self-effacing; unassuming
Kanji
- 控 refrain. Read as ひかえ.
Example sentences
- 君の彼に対する評価は、ひかえ目に言っても、少し高いよ。
Your estimation of him is a little high, to say the least. - それは控え目に言ってるんだよ。
That's putting it mildly. - 控え目にいっても素晴らしいディナーだった。
It was a good dinner, to say the least. - 控え目に言っても、彼は悪人のようさ。
To say the least, he seems to be a bad person. - 私が知る限りスミスさんは控え目な人だった。
Mr Smith, as I knew him, was a modest man.
Common phrases
Words containing 控えめ
- 控えめに言う (ひかえめにいう) to speak with restraint