み details
painful + 〜み — makes an adjective into a noun naming the quality as something felt or held
ita mi
〜み — makes an adjective into a noun naming the quality as something felt or held
このお茶は少し苦みがあるけれど、後味がいい。
kono ocha wa sukoshi nigami ga aru keredo, atoaji ga ii.
This tea has a slight bitterness to it, but the aftertaste is good. neutral
三か国語話せることが、彼女の強みだ。
sankakokugo hanaseru koto ga, kanojo no tsuyomi da.
Being able to speak three languages is her strong suit. neutral
- i-adjective stem
- na-adjective
Examples
the quality as something felt — a taste, a texture, a weight, a sensation or an appeal that is perceived rather than measured
このお茶は少し苦みがあるけれど、後味がいい。
kono ocha wa sukoshi nigami ga aru keredo, atoaji ga ii.
This tea has a slight bitterness to it, but the aftertaste is good. neutral
この料理、思ったより甘みが強いね。
kono ryouri, omotta yori amami ga tsuyoi ne.
This dish is sweeter than I expected. casual
年を重ねるにつれて、彼の演奏には深みが出てきた。
toshi o kasaneru ni tsurete, kare no ensou ni wa fukami ga dete kita.
With the years, his playing has taken on real depth. neutral
二年目の企画なので、正直、新鮮みはありません。
ninenme no kikaku na node, shoujiki, shinsenmi wa arimasen.
It's the second year of the project, so honestly there's no novelty left in it. neutral
a strong or weak point — with 強い and 弱い the み-noun names an advantage or a vulnerability someone holds
三か国語話せることが、彼女の強みだ。
sankakokugo hanaseru koto ga, kanojo no tsuyomi da.
Being able to speak three languages is her strong suit. neutral
あの人、意外と弱みを見せないタイプなんだよね。
ano hito, igai to yowami o misenai taipu na n da yo ne.
He's surprisingly the sort who never lets you see a weak spot. casual
弊社の強みは、短い納期でご対応できる点でございます。
heisha no tsuyomi wa, mijikai nouki de go taiou dekiru ten de gozaimasu.
Our strength lies in being able to work to short lead times. formal
the feeling itself — with 悲しい and 苦しい the み-noun names the emotion a person carries, where the さ-noun would rate how sad or how hard something was
大きな悲しみを乗り越えて、彼はまた歌い始めた。
ookina kanashimi o norikoete, kare wa mata utaihajimeta.
He came through a great sorrow and began to sing again. neutral
話を聞いてもらったら、少し苦しみが軽くなった気がする。
hanashi o kiite morattara, sukoshi kurushimi ga karuku natta ki ga suru.
Having someone hear me out, I feel like the pain eased a little. casual
Formation
{I-stem}みattaches to i-adjective stem{NA-stem}みattaches to na-adjective
Notes
真剣味 — the same 味 that spells 面白味 on the
い-adjective side.
Related patterns
Similar
重さ is weight as a quantity you can put a number to (荷物の重さは十キロ); 重み is the same weight as something felt, so ×重みは十キロ cannot be said at all — and さ is available for almost any adjective where み is not.
Lookalikes
Both sit on the bare adjective stem, but そう is fully productive and み is not, so on most adjectives only そう is available — 甘み and 甘そう both exist, while 新しそう has no ×新しみ beside it.