Translation guide
A dead end is a street or passage that has no exit, or a situation where no further progress is possible. This guide covers both literal and figurative uses.
Describing a road, path, or corridor that does not lead anywhere.
The most common and neutral word for a dead-end street or path. Used in everyday conversation and on signs.
この道は行き止まりです。
This road is a dead end.
行き止まりの標識が見えますか？
Do you see the dead end sign?
Literally 'bag alley'. Refers to a dead-end street, often narrow. Slightly more literary or formal than 行き止まり, but still common.
彼は袋小路に住んでいます。
He lives on a dead-end street.
Means 'the end of a road' or 'where a road terminates', often implying a T-junction or a wall. Can be used for dead ends, but not exclusively.
突き当たりを右に曲がってください。
Turn right at the end of the road.
Describing a project, investigation, career, or relationship that cannot move forward.
The most common figurative term for a deadlock or impasse. Used for negotiations, research, personal situations, etc.
交渉は行き詰まりに達した。
The negotiations reached a dead end.
彼のキャリアは行き詰まっている。
His career is at a dead end.
Loanword from English. Used in technical or business contexts, but less natural than native terms.
A job with no opportunities for advancement.
Literally 'a job where you can't see the future'. Natural way to describe a dead-end job.
彼は先の見えない仕事にうんざりしている。
He's fed up with his dead-end job.
More explicitly 'a job with no prospect of promotion'.
出世の見込みがない仕事を続けるのは難しい。
It's hard to keep working a dead-end job.
行き止まり (ikidomari) is for physical dead ends (roads, corridors). 行き詰まり (ikidzumari) is for figurative dead ends (situations, negotiations). They are not interchangeable.
この道は行き止まりだ。
This road is a dead end.
研究は行き詰まっている。
The research is at a dead end.
While デッドエンド is understood, it sounds unnatural for roads. Use 行き止まり instead.
Also used figuratively, like 'blind alley' in English. Suggests being trapped with no way out.
議論は袋小路に入った。
The discussion reached a dead end.
このプロジェクトはデッドエンドだ。
This project is a dead end.