じっとり

also: じとり

じ

っ

と

り

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

じっとりする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Meanings

Describes an unpleasant dampness or clamminess, often from sweat or humidity. Typically used with する or と.

〈人ひと〉がじっとり(と)汗あせをかくsomeone breaks out in clammy sweat
緊きん張ちょうして手てのひらがじっとりと汗あせをかいた。
I got so nervous that my palms broke out in a clammy sweat.
〈物もの〉がじっとりするsomething feels damp and clammy to the touch
湿しっ気けで背せ中なかがじっとりする。
My back feels clammy from the humidity.
じっとりと湿しめった〈物もの〉something clammily damp (e.g. a shirt, skin)
じっとりと湿しめったシャツが気き持もち悪わるい。
The clammily damp shirt feels unpleasant.

じめじめN2
じめじめ describes a persistently damp, humid atmosphere over time, while じっとり focuses on a sudden clammy dampness on skin or surfaces.
ベタベタN1
べたべた emphasizes sticky tackiness, often from grease or sugar, whereas じっとり is about clammy moisture, typically sweat.
ぐっしょりN1
ぐっしょり describes being thoroughly soaked or drenched, a stronger degree of wetness than the light clammy dampness of じっとり.

さらさらN2
さらさら describes something dry and smooth to the touch, the opposite of the damp, clammy feel of じっとり.

しっとりN2
しっとり sounds almost the same but describes a pleasant, elegant moistness (like moisturized skin), while じっとり describes an unpleasant clammy dampness such as sweat.

Mimetic word; the exact origin is uncertain, but the sound-symbolic element じと/じっと suggests a sense of dampness or moisture.