Translation guide
The act of pushing, bumping, or shoving against people, often in a crowd. In Japanese, this is expressed through verbs and nouns that describe physical contact in crowded situations, with nuances ranging from accidental bumping to deliberate shoving.
Describing the general action of people pushing against each other in a crowded place, such as a train station or festival.
A noun meaning 'pushing and shoving each other'. Commonly used for crowded situations where people are jostling.
満員電車で押し合いになった。
There was jostling on the crowded train.
An emphatic phrase meaning 'pushing and jostling', often used to describe chaotic crowd movement.
コンサート会場の入り口で押し合いへし合いが起きた。
There was jostling at the entrance of the concert venue.
Means 'crowd of people'. Often used to describe the setting where jostling occurs, rather than the action itself.
人混みの中で押されて転びそうになった。
I was pushed in the jostling crowd and almost fell.
Describing light, unintentional physical contact in a crowd, such as bumping shoulders.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to bump into' or 'to collide with'. Used for accidental contact.
人とぶつかって、かばんを落とした。
I bumped into someone while jostling and dropped my bag.
Noun meaning 'contact' or 'touch'. Can be used in formal contexts to describe physical contact in crowds.
Describing forceful, intentional pushing, often to get through a crowd or in a competitive situation.
Transitive verb meaning 'to push'. Can be used for deliberate shoving in a crowd.
人を押して前に進もうとした。
He tried to move forward by jostling people.
Transitive verb meaning 'to shove away' or 'to push aside'. Implies more force and rudeness.
Phrase meaning 'to push with one's elbow', i.e., to elbow one's way through a crowd.
彼は肘で押して人混みを進んだ。
He elbowed his way through the jostling crowd.
Metaphorical jostling, such as competing for a position, attention, or resources.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to compete closely' or 'to vie with each other'. Often used in sports or business.
選手たちはトップの座を競り合っている。
The players are jostling for the top position.
Transitive verb meaning 'to compete for' or 'to contend for'. General term for vying.
The English word 'jostling' does not have a single direct equivalent in Japanese. It is usually expressed through verbs like 押す (push) or ぶつかる (bump into), or nouns like 押し合い (mutual pushing). Choose the expression based on whether the contact is accidental or intentional.
In Japanese, it's more natural to describe the specific action (pushing, bumping, shoving) rather than using a generic term for 'jostling'. For example, 押し合いへし合い is vivid but informal, while 接触 is neutral and formal.
満員電車での接触は避けられない。
Jostling and contact on crowded trains is unavoidable.
彼は人を突き飛ばして電車に乗り込んだ。
He shoved people aside and got on the train.
Idiomatic phrase meaning 'to compete fiercely', literally 'to sharpen one's swords against each other'.
各社が市場シェアをめぐってしのぎを削っている。
Companies are jostling fiercely for market share.
多くの候補者がそのポストを争っている。
Many candidates are jostling for the position.