しつこい

also: しつっこい

し

つ

こ

い

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

i-adjective

usually written using kana alone

Describes a person or action that is annoyingly persistent, not giving up easily. Often carries a negative nuance of being bothersome.

セールスマンがしつこくて困こまった。

The salesman was so insistent that it was a problem.

2

i-adjective

usually written using kana alone

Used for food or flavors that are overly rich, heavy, or cloying, often leaving an unpleasant aftertaste.

しつこいUsage97%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
しつっこいUsage3%
kana-only spelling
Emphatic colloquial variant; less common than しつこい.
シツコイUsage<1%
執拗しつこい
Kanji form is rare and mainly used in literary or formal contexts.

うるさい
うるさい means 'noisy' or 'annoying' in a general sense, while しつこい specifically refers to persistent, repetitive behavior or overly rich taste.
くどい
くどい also means 'persistent' or 'heavy' (taste), but often implies wordiness or repetitiveness in speech, whereas しつこい can apply to actions and persistence more broadly.

The origin is uncertain. It may be related to the emphatic prefix しっ (as in しっかり) combined with こい (from 濃い, 'thick, rich'), but this is speculative.