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のたうつ Japanese meaning | Kotomora

のたうつ

の

た

う

つ

Meanings

1

godan verb (-tsu), intransitive verb

writhe in pain; squirm; wriggle

usually written using kana alone

Describes a person or animal twisting the body violently, typically from severe pain or agony. Often used in dramatic or literary contexts.

彼かれは腹ふく痛つうでのたうっていた。
He was writhing in pain from a stomachache.

傷きず

つい

た

動どう

物ぶつ

が

地じ

面めん

で

のたうっ

て

いる

。

The injured animal is writhing on the ground.

Written forms

のたうつUsage100%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form のた打つ is rare.
のた打うつ
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; the kana spelling is strongly preferred.

Kanji

打strike, hit, knock

Similar words

もがく
もがく means to struggle or flail, often with a sense of trying to escape or resist, while のたうつ focuses on twisting and writhing, usually from pain.
身みもだえする
身もだえする also means to writhe, but can be used for emotional anguish or even pleasure, whereas のたうつ is strongly associated with physical pain.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. The word appears to be a compound of のた (possibly related to のたくる, meaning to slither or crawl) and うつ (打つ, to strike), but the exact derivation is unclear.