疎ら
まばら
sparse, scattered
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Examples
客は疎らだった。
きゃくはまばらだった。
Customers were sparse.
平日の観客席は疎らだ。
へいじつのかんきゃくせきはまばらだ。
On weekdays the stands are thinly occupied.
山の上には木が疎らにしか生えていない。
やまのうえにはきがまばらにしかはえていない。
Up on the mountain the trees grow only sparsely.
深夜の商店街は人影も疎らで、静まり返っていた。
しんやのしょうてんがいはひとかげもまばらで、しずまりかえっていた。
Late at night the shopping street was nearly deserted and utterly silent.
Common patterns
- 人影が疎ら
- hardly anyone about
- 疎らに生える
- to grow sparsely
- 客足が疎ら
- few customers coming in
Memory tip
Usually written in kana as まばら. It pictures the gaps, not the count: 少ない just says there are few, while 疎ら says they are thinly scattered with space between them.
Kanji in this word
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What does 疎ら mean?