Translation guide
How to express being in a slump in Japanese, covering sports, work, creative blocks, and economic downturns.
To say that an athlete, team, or person is in a slump, performing poorly for a period.
A direct loanword from English 'slump', commonly used in sports, work, and creative contexts. スランプ means 'slump', and 陥る means 'to fall into'. This is the most natural and common way to say 'be in a slump'.
彼は最近スランプに陥っている。
He has been in a slump lately.
チーム全体がスランプに陥っているようだ。
The whole team seems to be in a slump.
Means 'sluggish' or 'in a slump', often used for performance in sports, business, or sales. It is a na-adjective, so it can directly describe a person or team.
彼は今シーズン不振だ。
He is in a slump this season.
売り上げが不振だ。
Sales are in a slump.
Literally 'condition is bad', a very common and versatile phrase to indicate not performing well, feeling off, or being in a slump. Can be used for health, performance, or mood.
最近調子が悪い。
I've been in a slump lately.
彼は今日調子が悪そうだ。
He seems to be off his game today.
Means 'to be sluggish' or 'to be in a prolonged slump', often used for teams, economies, or ratings. Implies a longer-term downturn.
チームは低迷している。
The team is in a slump.
To express being stuck creatively, having writer's block, or lacking inspiration.
Simply stating 'I'm in a slump' using the loanword. Very common for creative blocks.
アイデアが浮かばなくて、完全にスランプだ。
I can't come up with any ideas; I'm totally in a slump.
Means 'to reach a deadlock' or 'to be stuck', often used when progress halts in creative work or problem-solving.
研究が行き詰まっている。
My research is in a slump / I'm stuck in my research.
Literally 'to be boiled down', but idiomatically means to reach an impasse after much thought, often in discussions or creative work. Note: Some people misuse it to mean 'ideas are well refined', so context matters.
Can be misinterpreted; use 行き詰まる for clarity.
To describe a downturn in the economy, market, or business performance.
Means 'recession' or 'economic slump'. Used for the economy as a whole or a specific industry.
日本経済は不況だ。
The Japanese economy is in a slump.
Literally 'business conditions are bad', a common way to say the economy is in a slump.
最近景気が悪いね。
The economy has been in a slump lately, huh.
Specifically for sales being in a slump, meaning 'sales have dropped sharply'.
新製品の売り上げが落ち込んでいる。
Sales of the new product are in a slump.
スランプ is a loanword and feels modern, used for any kind of slump. 不振 is more formal and often used in news or reports about performance. 調子が悪い is casual and can refer to health, mood, or performance, so it's less specific.
スランプから抜け出せない。
I can't get out of this slump.
不振の原因を探る。
Investigate the cause of the slump.
今日は調子が悪くてミスが多い。
I'm off my game today and making lots of mistakes.
Avoid literal translations like 'スランプにいる' or '不振にいる'. Use スランプに陥っている, 不振だ, or 調子が悪い.
エースが怪我をしてから、チームはスランプに陥っている。
The team has been in a slump since the star player got injured.
創作のスランプで何も書けない。
I'm in a creative slump and can't write anything.
不況なので、就職が難しい。
The economy is in a slump, so finding a job is tough.
議論が煮詰まってしまった。
The discussion has reached a deadlock.