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うつつを抜かす (うつつをぬかす) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, godan verb (-su)
lose one's senses (over) ; be completely captivated (by) ; be engrossed (in)
Used when someone is so absorbed in a person, hobby, or activity that they lose touch with reality or neglect other things. Often takes the pattern ～にうつつを抜かす.
抜ぬ
かし
て
仕し
事ごと
が
手て
に
つか
ない
。
I'm so smitten with love that I can't focus on work.
Written forms うつつを 抜ぬ かす
Standard kana-kanji mixed spelling; the most common written form.
現うつつ を 抜ぬ かす
Kanji spelling using 現; less common but still encountered.
Kanji 抜 slip out, extract, pull out 現 present, existing, actual Similar words 夢む 中ちゅう になる 夢中になる simply means 'to be absorbed in' without the negative nuance of losing touch with reality. うつつを抜かす implies a stronger, often excessive, captivation.
のぼせ 上あ がる のぼせ上がる means 'to be infatuated' or 'to be carried away', often with a sense of losing one's head. うつつを抜かす is broader and can apply to hobbies or work, not just romantic infatuation.
Etymology うつつ (現) is an old word meaning 'reality' or 'consciousness'. 抜かす means 'to omit' or 'to leave out'. The phrase literally means 'to leave out reality', i.e., to be so absorbed in something that one loses touch with the real world.
