てきぱき

also: てきばき

て

き

ぱ

き

JLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

てきぱきする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	てきぱきする	てきぱきしない
Polite	てきぱきします	てきぱきしません
Past polite	てきぱきしました	てきぱきしませんでした
Past	てきぱきした	てきぱきしなかった
Te-form	てきぱきして	てきぱきしないで
Desire	てきぱきしたい	てきぱきしたくない
Potential	てきぱきできる	てきぱきできない
Passive	てきぱきされる	てきぱきされない
Causative	てきぱきさせる	てきぱきさせない
Causative passive	てきぱきさせられる	てきぱきさせられない
Volitional	てきぱきしよう
Polite volitional	てきぱきしましょう
Imperative	てきぱきしろ	てきぱきするな
Conditional	てきぱきすれば	てきぱきしなければ
Tara conditional	てきぱきしたら	てきぱきしなかったら

Meanings

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

briskly; quickly; promptly

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes doing something efficiently and without hesitation, often with a sense of crisp, energetic movement. Can be used adverbially or with する to mean 'to be brisk/prompt'.

彼かの女じょはてきぱきと仕し事ごとを片かた付づけた。
She briskly finished her work.
てきぱきした対たい応おうで助たすかりました。
Your prompt response was very helpful.

See all 15 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

てきぱき（と）働はたらくto work briskly and efficiently
彼かの女じょは厨ちゅう房ぼうでてきぱきと働はたらいている。
She works briskly and efficiently in the kitchen.
てきぱき（と）〈事こと〉を片かた付づけるto take care of matters promptly and efficiently
彼かれは仕し事ごとをてきぱきと片かた付づけてから帰かえった。
He briskly finished up his work before going home.
てきぱき（と）指し示じを出だすto give instructions promptly and decisively
リーダーはてきぱきと指し示じを出だしていた。
The leader was giving instructions crisply and decisively.
てきぱきしているto be a brisk, efficient (type of) person
あの新しん人じんはとてもてきぱきしている。
That new employee is very brisk and efficient.

Related words

きびきびN2
きびきび emphasizes lively, energetic movement, while てきぱき highlights efficient, no-nonsense handling of tasks.
さっさとN2
さっさと often carries a nuance of impatience or urging someone to hurry, while てきぱき is neutral and praises efficient competence.
手て際ぎわ良よくN1
手際よく focuses on skillful technique or method in doing something, while てきぱき focuses on the brisk pace and crisp rhythm of the action.
サクサク
テキパキ emphasizes brisk, organized efficiency in handling tasks, while サクサク focuses on the smooth, effortless feel of the process itself.
はきはきN2
てきぱき describes efficient, no-nonsense handling of tasks, whereas はきはき is more about verbal clarity and liveliness in speaking.

Opposites

のろのろN3
のろのろ describes slow, sluggish movement, the opposite of the brisk efficiency described by てきぱき.
ぐずぐずN1
ぐずぐず describes dawdling or hesitating instead of acting, the opposite of the prompt decisiveness in てきぱき.

Written forms

てきぱきUsage65%
Standard hiragana spelling for this mimetic adverb.
テキパキUsage35%
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or in informal writing.
てきばき
Voiced variant; less common than てきぱき.
テキバキ
Katakana voiced variant; rare.

Etymology

Mimetic word; the exact origin is uncertain, but it is likely derived from the sound-symbolic pattern of reduplicated syllables suggesting quick, sharp actions.