"불쌍하다 and 짠하다" - 불쌍하다: evoking pity; pathetic (original sense); Always directed to a person/animal. * 저 강아지 너무 불쌍하다: That doggy is so pitiful (my heart goes out to it). * 아직도 우리 주변에 불쌍한 사람들이 많다: There still are many needy people around us. - 짠하다: compunctious or sad, caused by one's own wrongdoing, witnessing something sad, etc. It usually describes one's own sentiment or a situation rather than a person. * 마음이 짠하다: I have a heavy heart (from sadness, remorse, etc). * 나무라기는 했지만 자식은 자식이라 짠한 심정을 금할 수 없었다. => I scolded him, and ended up with a burdened heart, as one would with one's own child.

불쌍하다 is a long term feeling for someone suffering. 짠하다 is a short term feeling for seeing someone struggling in desperation. - 세계 각국 난민들이 불쌍하다. (The refugees are 불쌍하다) - 난민들의 사연은 짠하다. (What they went through is 짠하다)