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Much to my disbelief (no, I'm kidding, it happens all the time), I found out
that my handbook was wrong to tell me _we must use 静けさ, because 静かさ doesn't
exist_.

Wiki(tionary) says "For degree, corresponding to the English quietness, both
静かさ (shizukasa) and 静けさ (shizukesa) can be used, but 静けさ (shizukesa) may be
more common." On the other hand someone on chiebukuro says:

> 「静かさ」といった場合「静かである程度」を 意味し、「静けさ」といった場合「静かであること（様子）」を意味しているように 思います。

meaning shizukasa is for degree, shizukesa is for appearance.

But I can't help feeling unconvinced. I've looked on weblio. In the ruigo
jisho I've found 3 meaning for
[静かさ](http://thesaurus.weblio.jp/content/%E9%9D%99%E3%81%8B%E3%81%95) (for
reference
[静けさ](http://thesaurus.weblio.jp/content/%E9%9D%99%E3%81%91%E3%81%95)):

  1. 音がないこと サイレンス ・ 物静かさ ・ 静寂さ
  2. 静かな状況（例えば、話し声がしない状況） サイレンス ・ 音無 ・ 森閑 ・ 沈黙 ・ 無音 ・ だんまり ・ 黙 ・ 音無し ・ 黙り ・ 静寂 ・ 無言 ・ しじま ・ 無声 ・ **静けさ** ・ 静寂さ
  3. 穏やかな静寂 静寂 ・ しじま ・ **静けさ**

So the first meaning, apparently, is the real difference with shizukesa,
right?  
But then again, if 1 is 音がないこと why 音無, 無音 and 音無し aren't also in the first
group? And why 静けさ can be in the second group with these one, but not in the
first group?  
Side question: why 静寂さ for 1st and 2nd group, but just 静寂 in the 3rd?

For reference, instead of the 1st meaning of 静かさ, with 静けさ we have another
group:  
風のない穏やかさ 黙 ・ 沈静 ・ 無風 ・ 静寂 ・ 平静 ・ 静止 Isn't it overly specific? Can't this
definition easily overlap with another group's definition (same of 2 and 3 for
静かさ).
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-06T20:28:27.917
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2019-10-18T00:48:50.847
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question
word-choice usage nuances na-adjectives nominalization
What's the difference between 静けさ and 静かさ?
I have found something that might be useful from poking around in the
etymological information I have to hand.

Shogakukan notes in their entry for 静{しず}か that the noun form is 静かさ. There is
no separate entry for 静かさ。 When looking to see if there was an entry for 静けさ,
I found an entry instead for 静けし, which lists a noun form of 静けさ.

静{しず}けし appears to be an obsolete (or perhaps now dialectal?) form, derived as
a 形容詞{けいようし} (" _-i_ adjective") from the 形容{けいよう}動詞{どうし} (" _-na_ adjective")
that is 静{しず}か. The けし ending here is a suffix, for which Shogakukan provides
the following definition (my additions in [square brackets]):

> 〔接尾〕体言や、形容動詞語根などに付いてク活用の形容詞を作り、その性質や状態を表わす。「露（つゆ）けし」「のどけし」「さやけし」「あきらけし」など。  
>  (Suffix) Attaches to terms such as substantives [generally, nouns] or the
> stems of _-na_ adjectives to form _-ku_ -inflection adjectives [i.e. _-i_
> adjectives], expressing that kind of quality or state. [Examples include]
> _tsuyukeshi_ "dewy", _nodokeshi_ "calm, tranquil, serene", _sayakeshi_
> "crisp, clear, bright", _akirakeshi_ "clear, distinct, clean", etc.

I suspect that this _-keshi_ ending could be further decomposed into 気{け}
"mood, spirit, sense, feeling" + the common adjectival ending し (classical
terminal form for what became modern _-i_ adjectives).

So ultimately 静かさ and 静けさ started out as the noun forms of separate words,
with these then coming to be considered as alternate forms of a single word. I
wonder if the separate etymologies might have some influence in the
distinction described on Chiebukuro, where " _shizukasa is for degree,
shizukesa is for appearance._ "
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2014-08-06T22:01:42.593
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2014-08-06T22:01:42.593
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answer
Here is how I (and many other native speakers) would use the two words in real
life. I am answering without looking at anything.

「静 **か** さ」 describes the bare **physical** degree of how "not loud" a thing
is. A high degree of quietness, while it may be desired, is not a prerequisite
here.

Examples: 「静かさ」 is used to talk about how quiet a car, airconditioner, street,
the way a person speaks, etc. is. Point is that those all make some noise if
not a lot.

「静 **け** さ」 means " **tranquility** ". A high degree of quietness is an
absolute prerequisite. One wants a certain quality in the quietness that is
pleasing and satisfying to one.

Examples: 「静けさ」 is used to refer to the tranquility of a forest, mountain,
lake, large park, etc. One can use the word to describe any natural scene the
tranquility of which one appreciates.

I am not saying that everyone, myself included, uses these words correctly all
the time, but this would be the general guideline that many would share deep
inside.
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2014-08-06T23:20:33.473
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answer