► 名詞
本気 [ほんき] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ 彼が本気を出したら誰も敵わない ⇨ Nobody can beat him once he gets really serious
気合い [きあい] [気合いが入る] meaning: serious rank: 2
☆ 相手は気合の入り方が違った (きあいがはいる) ⇨ The opponent was far more determined than we were
重症 [じゅうしょう] meaning: serious rank: 2
☆ 彼は重症の火傷を負った ⇨ He suffered serious, third-degree, burns (☛ Serious medical condition)
☆ 彼は重症のバカだ ⇨ He is a serious case of idiocy (☛ Severe medical condition, even though not necessarily life-threatening, like intellectual disabilities)
真剣さ [しんけんさ] meaning: serious rank: 3
☆ 彼は真剣さが足りない ⇨ He is lacking seriousness, is frivolous (☛ Seriousness in attitude)
真剣勝負 [(5)しんけんしょうぶ] meaning: serious rank: 3
☆ これは遊びじゃなくて真剣勝負だ ⇨ This is not a play game and a real sword fight, duel, high-stake game
冗談抜き [(6)じょうだんぬき] [coll] meaning: serious rank: 3
☆ 冗談抜きで本当にまずいことになっているよ ⇨ Seriously, we’re really in trouble
本格化 [ほんかくか] [本格化する] meaning: serious rank: 3
☆ コロナの予防接種が本格化し始めた ⇨ COVID vaccinations are rolling out in earnest
本格派 [ほんかくは] meaning: serious rank: 3
☆ 彼女は本格派の歌手だ ⇨ She is a genuinely talented singer (not just pretty)
本腰 [ほんごし] [本腰を入れる] meaning: serious rank: 3
☆ 政府はやっと本腰を入れて環境問題に取り組み始めた ⇨ The government has finally started to tackle the environmental issues in earnest (☛ Literally means to assume a steady posture, as in when doing heavy lifting)
► 形容詞
浅い [(2)あさい] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ 傷は未だ浅い ⇨ The wound is still shallow. The damage is not serious yet
重い [(2)おもい] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ 彼が犯した罪は重い ⇨ The crime he committed is very serious
☆ 彼は重い病気に罹っている ⇨ He’s suffering from a serious illness
☆ 彼等は彼が当初の調査の時に協力的でなかった事を重く見ている ⇨ They are taking it very seriously that he was not cooperative during the initial investigation
固い [(2)かたい] [堅い] [coll] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ 堅い話はこれくらいにしましょう ⇨ Let’s move on from serious topics
軽い [(0,2)かるい] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ 彼の症状は軽い ⇨ His symptom is mild
☆ 私達は軽い話題以外は避けた ⇨ We avoided everything other than light topics
☆ 軽く考えていると痛い目に遭うぞ ⇨ If you don’t take it seriously, you’re gonna be in trouble
軽い [(0,2)かるい] [軽く見る] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ 彼等は相手を軽く見ていた ⇨ They were underestimating the opponent
厳しい [(3)きびしい] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ 彼は厳しい表情をしていた ⇨ He had a stern expression
酷い [(2)ひどい] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ 彼はひどい怪我を負った ⇨ He suffered serious injuries
可愛い [(3)かわいい] [coll] meaning: serious rank: 2
☆ 安い品を万引きするぐらいは未だ可愛いが、もっと深刻な犯罪行為に発展する可能性がある ⇨ Shoplifting some cheap stuff is not that serious, but it can develop into serious criminal behavior (☛ A sarcastic expression)
険しい [(3)けわしい] meaning: serious rank: 2
☆ 彼は険しい表情をしている ⇨ He looks very tense
手痛い [(3)ていたい] meaning: serious rank: 4
☆ 彼等は優勝争い中に手痛い負けを喫した ⇨ They suffered a crucial loss during the championship race
物々しい [(5)ものものしい] meaning: serious rank: 4
☆ 大統領が来日するためにものものしい警備が行われている ⇨ There have been very thorough security checks because the president comes visit Japan (☛ Some event, typically involving VIPs, is done extremely seriously and elaborately, mainly for security reasons)
► 形容動詞
真剣 [しんけん] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ もっと真剣にやれよ ⇨ Do it more seriously. Be more serious (☛ Serious attitude. Literally means “with a real sword”)
☆ 私はその可能性を真剣に考えてみた ⇨ I thought about that possibility seriously (☛ Serious attitude. Literally means “with a real sword”)
重大 [じゅうだい] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ 原子炉の設計に重大な欠陥が発見された ⇨ A critical defect was discovered in the design of nuclear reactor
☆ 彼は状況の重大さを理解していないように見える ⇨ He doesn’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation
大変 [たいへん] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ 早いうちに手を打たないと大変な事になるぞ ⇨ If you don’t take care of it early, it will be a serious problem
本気 [ほんき] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ まさか本気じゃないだろ？ ⇨ You’re not serious, are you?
☆ 彼はやっと本気になって勉強し始めた ⇨ He’s finally started studying in earnest
真面目 [まじめ] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ 少し真面目に考えたら？ ⇨ Why don’t you think a little seriously?
☆ 彼の話は真面目なのか冗談なのか分からない ⇨ I can’t tell what he said was serious or just a joke
☆ 真面目にやれ！ ⇨ Do it seriously! Stop fooling around!
深刻 [しんこく] meaning: serious rank: 2
☆ どうしたの、そんな深刻な顔して ⇨ What’s wrong? You look so serious
☆ 便秘は冗談ではなくて深刻な問題だ ⇨ Constipation is not a joke, but rather a serious problem
☆ 洪水で深刻な被害が出た ⇨ The flood caused serious damages
本格的 [ほんかくてき] meaning: serious rank: 2
☆ 橋の工事が本格的に始まった ⇨ The bridge construction has started in earnest
マジ [(1)まじ] [coll] [peer] meaning: serious rank: 2
☆ あいつがマジで好きになった ⇨ I seriously fell in love with her
☆ あいつの料理、マジで美味い ⇨ No joke, his cooking is seriously good
☆ 飲酒運転して人身事故を起こしたりしたらマジでやばい ⇨ You gonna be in serious trouble if you DUI and injure someone
☆ お前マジかよ？ ⇨ Are you serious? You gotta be kidding, right? (☛ A colloquial abbreviation of “真面目”)
大真面目 [(3)おおまじめ] meaning: serious rank: 3
☆ 冗談かと思ったら彼は大真面目だった ⇨ First I’d thought he was joking, but he was dead serious
厳粛 [げんしゅく] meaning: serious rank: 3
☆ 私達は選挙の結果を厳粛に受け止めております ⇨ We are taking the result of the election extremely seriously
重体 [じゅうたい] meaning: serious rank: 3
☆ 重体患者 ⇨ A patient in critical condition (☛ Near-death condition)
切実 [せつじつ] meaning: serious rank: 3
☆ 東京の夏の気温上昇は市民にとって切実な問題となっている ⇨ The summer warming in Tokyo has become a serious issue for the citizens
☆ 自立して生活したいというのは障害者にとって切実な願いだ ⇨ The wish to live independently is extremely serious for disabled people
神妙 [しんみょう] meaning: serious rank: 4
☆ 子供達は神妙な顔で彼の話を聞いていた ⇨ The kids were listening to him with serious looks (☛ Someone usually playful, typically a child, to behave subdued, affected by a serious atmosphere)
► 接頭辞
大 [だい] meaning: serious rank: 1
☆ これは大問題になる ⇨ This is going to be a big problem (☛ A Chinese-derived word tends to have だい, instead of おお)
大 [おお] meaning: serious rank: 2
☆ 彼は事故で大怪我をした ⇨ He was suffered serious injuries in an accident (☛ A Japanese-native word tends to have おお, instead of だい)