躊躇う

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
ためら
Hyōgai Hyōgai
jukujikun

Etymology

Derived from verb ためる (tameru, to correct, to train, to reform, spelled variously in kanji as 矯める, 揉める, 撓める), as the 未然形 (mizenkei, incomplete form) tamera- + auxiliary verb (fu, indicating repetition or ongoing state: modern verb ending u): “to be in the act of correction, to make something stay corrected”.[1]

Orthographic borrowing from Chinese 躊躇 / 踌躇 (chóuchú).

Pronunciation

  • Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「ためらう
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Terminal (終止形)
Attributive (連体形)
ためらう めら
Imperative (命令形) ためらえ めら
Key constructions
Passive ためらわれる めらわれ
Causative ためらわせる めらわせ
Potential - - -
Volitional ためらおう めらお
Negative ためらわない めらわない
Negative perfective ためらわなかった めらわなかった
Formal ためらいます めらいま
Perfective ためらった めらった
Conjunctive ためらって めらって
Hypothetical conditional ためらえば めらえば

Verb

躊躇(ためら) (tamerauためらふ (tamerafu)?transitive godan (stem 躊躇(ためら) (tamerai), past 躊躇(ためら)った (tameratta))

  1. to quell or restrain disordered emotions, such as due to high spirits or sadness: to calm one's feelings
  2. to ease or alleviate the symptoms of disease
  3. by extension from sense 1, to take the time to think things through calmly before making a decision: to ponder something, to consider something
  4. to calmly observe something

躊躇(ためら) (tamerauためらふ (tamerafu)?intransitive godan (stem 躊躇(ためら) (tamerai), past 躊躇(ためら)った (tameratta))

  1. by extension from transitive sense 3, to hesitate, to be undecided, to waver

Usage notes

The intransitive sense of "to hesitate" appears to be the most common sense in modern Japanese.

Due to the complicated stroke order of the kanji, this word is often spelled in hiragana.

Conjugation

Synonyms

Derived terms

References

  1. ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN