あたふた

あ

た

ふ

た

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

あたふたする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Meanings

Describes a state of flustered, rushed movement or action, often with a sense of mild panic or disorganization. Commonly used with する or と.

あたふた(と)するto be in a flustered hurry
彼かれは遅ち刻こくしそうになってあたふたと家いえを出でた。
He rushed out of the house in a panic, worried he'd be late.
あたふたと〈動どう詞し〉to hurriedly do something in a flustered way
あたふたと荷に物もつをまとめて出しゅっ発ぱつした。
She hurriedly packed her things in a fluster and left.
〈人ひと〉はあたふたするsomeone panics and fumbles around
急きゅうな質しつ問もんに彼かの女じょはあたふたしてしまった。
She got flustered by the sudden question.

慌あわてるN3
あわてる is a verb meaning 'to panic' or 'get flustered', while あたふた is an adverb describing the flustered, hurried manner itself.
バタバタ
ばたばた emphasizes noisy, physical commotion or busyness, while あたふた focuses on the mental panic behind hurried movement.
おろおろN1
おろおろ describes anxious, helpless dithering without necessarily moving much, while あたふた implies actual rushed action.
まごつくN1
まごつく is a verb meaning to be confused and at a loss, whereas あたふた describes the visible flustered hurrying that often results.

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どぎまぎN1
あたふた emphasizes hurried, panicked action, while どぎまぎ focuses on emotional fluster or embarrassment.
どたばたN1
あたふた focuses on the flustered, hasty feeling of being caught off guard, while どたばた adds a sense of noisy, physical commotion to the panic.

落おち着つくN3
落ち着く means to calm down and act composed, the opposite of the flustered rushing described by あたふた.

Mimetic word derived from the sound or impression of hurried, flustered movement. The exact origin is uncertain.