Translation guide
How to express 'budge' in Japanese, covering physical movement, changing one's mind, and making progress.
To move or cause to move a little, often with difficulty.
General verb for moving. Use with adverbs like 少し (a little) or ちょっと (a bit) to convey 'budge'.
To refuse to change an opinion, decision, or position.
Literally 'not change one's opinion'. A straightforward way to say someone won't budge on an issue.
彼は自分の意見を変えようとしなかった。
He wouldn't budge on his opinion.
To fail to make progress or move forward, often in a situation or task.
Means 'no progress'. Commonly used when a situation or negotiation isn't budging.
話し合いは何の進展もなかった。
The discussion didn't budge at all.
There is no direct single-word equivalent for 'budge' in Japanese. Avoid trying to translate it literally; instead, use the phrases and verbs above depending on context.
The stone wouldn't budge at all.
ちょっと動いてもらえますか？
Could you budge a little?
Transitive version of 動く, meaning to move something. Use when someone is trying to budge an object.
彼は重い箱を動かそうとしたが、動かなかった。
He tried to budge the heavy box, but it wouldn't move.
Idiomatic phrase meaning 'not budge an inch' or 'completely unmoved'. Often used for stubborn objects or people.
押しても引いても、ドアはびくともしなかった。
No matter how much I pushed or pulled, the door wouldn't budge.
Means 'not give in' or 'not yield'. Used when someone refuses to compromise.
交渉で相手が全く折れなかった。
The other party wouldn't budge at all in the negotiations.
Literally 'not change one's attitude'. Suitable for formal or stubborn refusal to budge.
政府はその政策に対する態度を変えなかった。
The government didn't budge on its stance regarding the policy.
Literally 'no movement'. Used for stagnant situations where nothing is budging.
プロジェクトは何の動きもなかった。
The project didn't budge.