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 ふ (fu, indicating repetition or ongoing state: modern verb ending う u): “to be in the act of correction, to make something stay corrected”.

Orthographic borrowing from Chinese 躊躇 / 踌躇 (chóuchú).

• (Tokyo) ためらう (Nakadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

躊躇(ためら)う • (tamerau) ^{←ためらふ (tamerafu)?}transitive godan (stem 躊躇(ためら)い (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)う • (tamerau) ^{←ためらふ (tamerafu)?}intransitive godan (stem 躊躇(ためら)い (tamerai), past 躊躇(ためら)った (tameratta))

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

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.

• ぐずぐず (guzuguzu)
• 遅疑(ちぎ) (chigi)
• 躊躇(ちゅうちょ) (chūcho)
• 逡巡(しゅんじゅん) (shunjun)
• 猶予(ゆうよ) (yūyo)

• 躊躇(ためら)い (tamerai): hesitation