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間が持てない (まがもてない) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression
not know what to do with one's time ; feel awkward with spare time
Describes the uncomfortable feeling of having free time but not knowing how to fill it, often in social situations where silence or inactivity feels awkward.
人ひと
と
二人ふたり
きり
だ
と
、
どう
し
て
も
間ま
が
持も
て
ない
。
When I'm alone with someone I've just met, I can't help but feel awkward with the silence.
Similar words 間ま が 持も つ The affirmative form meaning 'to be able to fill the time comfortably' or 'the time passes without awkwardness'. 間が持てない is its negative potential form.
手て 持も ち 無ぶ 沙さ 汰た A noun/adjective meaning 'having nothing to do; being at a loose end'. Similar in meaning but more about physical idleness, while 間が持てない focuses on the psychological discomfort of unfilled time.
Etymology The expression combines 間 (ma, 'interval, pause, timing') with the negative potential form of 持つ (motsu, 'to hold, to keep'), literally 'cannot hold the interval'. The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely derives from the idea of being unable to maintain a comfortable flow of time or conversation.
