蠢うごめく

う

ご

め

く

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb

wriggle; squirm; crawl like a worm

usually written using kana alone

Describes the writhing movement of many small creatures, or a mass of things moving in a wriggling manner. Often used for insects, worms, or figuratively for crowds.

腐くさった肉にくに蛆うじがうごめいていた。
Maggots were wriggling in the rotten meat.

暗くら闇やみで何なにかがうごめく音おとがした。

I heard something squirming in the darkness.

Written forms

蠢うごめくUsage48%
Standard kanji spelling, though the word is usually written in kana.
うごめくUsage52%
Kana spelling is the most common and recommended for learners.
動うごめく
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; rarely used.
蠕うごめく
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; rarely used.

Kanji

蠢wriggle
動move, motion, change
蠕crawling of a worm

Similar words

這はう
這う means 'to crawl' in a general sense, while うごめく emphasizes wriggling or squirming movement, often of many small things.
もぞもぞ
もぞもぞ is an onomatopoeia for squirming or fidgeting, often used for a single creature or person, whereas うごめく describes the movement itself.

Etymology

The word is likely a compound of 動く (ugoku, 'to move') and an element めく that adds a sense of 'showing signs of' or 'appearing to'. The exact derivation is uncertain.