Translation guide
The English word 'stuffy' can describe a room that feels hot and lacking fresh air, a blocked nose, a formal or boring atmosphere, or a person who is overly conventional. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for each meaning.
Describing a room or space that feels hot, humid, and without enough ventilation.
Used for hot and humid conditions, often indoors when air is stagnant.
この部屋は蒸し暑いですね。
This room is stuffy, isn't it?
Literally 'poor ventilation', used when air doesn't circulate well.
この部屋は風通しが悪くて、息苦しいです。
This room is stuffy and suffocating.
Describes air that is trapped and stale.
窓を閉め切っているから、空気がこもっている。
The air is stuffy because the windows are shut tight.
Means 'suffocating' or 'hard to breathe', often due to stuffiness.
人が多くて息苦しい。
It's stuffy with so many people.
Describing a nose that is congested due to a cold or allergies.
Standard phrase for a stuffy nose.
風邪で鼻が詰まっています。
My nose is stuffy from a cold.
Noun meaning 'nasal congestion'.
鼻づまりがひどいです。
I have a bad stuffy nose.
Describing a place, event, or person that feels overly formal, dull, or conservative.
Means 'stiff', 'formal', or 'ceremonious' in a negative sense.
あのレストランは堅苦しくて、リラックスできない。
That restaurant is stuffy; I can't relax there.
Describes something overly formal or adhering strictly to etiquette.
格式ばったパーティーは苦手です。
I'm not good with stuffy, formal parties.
Means 'old-fashioned' or 'outdated', can imply stuffiness.
Describing a person who is rigid, conservative, or lacking openness.
A person who is overly serious, inflexible, and humorless.
彼は堅物で、冗談が通じない。
He's so stuffy; jokes don't get through to him.
Literally 'hard-headed', meaning stubborn or inflexible.
あの先生は頭が固くて、新しいやり方を認めない。
That teacher is stuffy and won't accept new methods.
彼の考え方は古臭い。
His way of thinking is stuffy.