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尻切れトンボ (しりきれトンボ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun
leaving unfinished ; unfinished ending ; cutting off abruptly
Refers to something that stops abruptly without a proper conclusion, like a dragonfly with its tail cut off. Often used for stories, explanations, or tasks that are left incomplete.
That project was left unfinished.
Written forms 尻しり 切き れトンボ
Most common spelling, using katakana for トンボ.
尻しり 切き れ 蜻蛉とんぼ
Full kanji spelling; the kanji 蜻蛉 is rare and may not be recognized by all readers.
尻しり 切き れとんぼ
Hiragana variant of the katakana part; less common but still seen.
しりきれとんぼ
Similar words 中ちゅう 途と 半はん 端ぱ 中途半端 means 'half-done' or 'half-hearted', focusing on the state of being incomplete, while 尻切れトンボ emphasizes the abrupt, cut-off ending.
Etymology Literally 'tail-cut dragonfly'. The image is of a dragonfly whose tail has been cut off, leaving it incomplete. The exact origin of the phrase is uncertain, but it is used figuratively for anything that ends abruptly.