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持て余す (もてあます) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
be too much to handle ; not know what to do with ; find unmanageable
Used when someone has more than they can deal with, such as excess time, energy, or a difficult person/thing. Often implies being at a loss or overwhelmed.
かれ
は
自じ
分ぶん
の
才さい
能のう
を
持も
て
余あま
し
て
いる
よう
に
見み
える
。
He seems to be at a loss with his own talent, not knowing how to use it.
Written forms 持も て 余あま す Usage 40%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
もてあます Usage 43%
持も てあます Usage 9%
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; less common but still encountered.
もて 余あま す Usage 7%
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; less common but still encountered.
Kanji 余 too much, myself, surplus Etymology Compound of 持つ (motsu, 'to hold') in its continuative form 持ち (mochi) + 余す (amasu, 'to leave over, to have in excess'). The 持ち changes to 持て (mote) via a euphonic shift. Literally 'to hold and have left over,' i.e., to have more than one can handle.
