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歯がゆい (はがゆい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 100,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
i-adjective
frustrating ; irritating ; impatient
Describes a situation or one's own feeling of being frustrated or impatient because things are not progressing as desired, often with a sense of being unable to act directly. Can refer to both the feeling and the cause.
もどかしく
て
歯は
がゆい
思おも
い
を
し
た
。
I felt impatient and frustrated.
Written forms 歯は がゆい Usage 66%
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling; widely used in modern Japanese.
はがゆい Usage 21%
歯は 痒がゆ い Usage 14%
Alternate spelling using the less common kanji 痒; still encountered but 歯がゆい is more frequent.
Similar words もどかしい もどかしい also means frustrating or irritating, but often emphasizes a sense of slowness or being held back, while 歯がゆい can imply irritation at someone else's actions or a situation.
じれったい じれったい is similar but tends to focus more on personal impatience and irritation, often with a nuance of being annoyed at the delay itself.
Etymology Compound of 歯 (ha, 'tooth') + 痒い (kayui, 'itchy'), literally 'tooth-itchy'. The exact derivation is uncertain, but it likely expresses a metaphorical irritation so strong it feels like an itch in the teeth.
