うっとうしい

also: うっとおしい

う

っ

と

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し

い

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

i-adjective

gloomy; depressing; dreary

usually written using kana alone

Describes a mood, atmosphere, or weather that feels heavy, oppressive, and makes one feel down.

今日きょうは曇くもりで、なんだかうっとうしい気き分ぶんだ。
It's cloudy today, and I feel kind of gloomy.

雨あめが続つづくと、気き持もちがうっとうしくなる。

When the rain continues, my mood becomes dreary.

2

i-adjective

irritating; troublesome; annoying

usually written using kana alone

Used when someone or something is bothersome, pesky, or gets on one's nerves; often about people or persistent nuisances.

彼かれの長なが話ばなしは本ほん当とうにうっとうしい。
His long stories are really irritating.
蚊かがうっとうしくて眠ねむれない。
The mosquitoes are so annoying I can't sleep.

3

i-adjective

heavy; cloudy; overcast

usually written using kana alone

Specifically for weather that is overcast, muggy, or oppressively cloudy; often overlaps with the gloomy mood sense.

梅雨つゆのうっとうしい空そらが続つづいている。
The heavy, overcast sky of the rainy season continues.

Written forms

うっとうしいUsage51%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 鬱陶しい is rare and heavy.
鬱陶しいUsage33%
- うっとうしい
  Kanji form is uncommon and may be difficult to read; prefer kana.
- うっとおしい
  irregular kana usage
うっとおしいUsage16%
irregular kana usage
Colloquial variant with irregular kana usage; common in casual speech.

Kanji

鬱gloom, depression, melancholy
陶pottery, porcelain

Similar words

憂ゆう鬱うつ
憂鬱 is a more formal, clinical term for depression or melancholy, while うっとうしい is a casual, sensory word for oppressive gloom or irritation.
煩わずらわしい
煩わしい emphasizes troublesome complexity or bother, often about tasks or procedures, whereas うっとうしい is more about emotional heaviness or personal annoyance.

Etymology

The exact derivation is uncertain; the kanji 鬱 (dense, gloomy) and 陶 (pottery, but here likely used phonetically) suggest a heavy, oppressive feeling. The word is native Japanese and the kana spelling is standard.