ふてくされ

ふ

て

く

さ

れ

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun

sulkiness; sulking

usually written using kana alone

Describes a state of being in a bad mood and showing it through silence or grumpiness, often over a minor disappointment.

彼かれは注ちゅう意いされた後あと、ふてくされて口くちをきかなくなった。
After being scolded, he got sulky and stopped talking.
子こ供どもがおもちゃを買かってもらえなくて、ふてくされている。
The child is sulking because they didn't get the toy.

Kanji

腐rot, decay, sour
不negative, non-, bad
貞upright, chastity, constancy

Related words

すねる
すねる is a verb meaning to pout or sulk, often used for children. ふてくされ is a noun describing the state of sulkiness, and can be used for adults as well.
不ふ機き嫌げん
不機嫌 is a more general term for bad mood or displeasure, while ふてくされ specifically implies a sulky, resentful attitude.

Word family

ふてくされる
sulk; become sulky; act out of pique

Written forms

ふてくされUsage100%
Kana spelling is standard; the word is usually written in kana.
ふて腐くされ
Ateji spelling using 腐れ for the 'sulky' nuance; rarely used.
不貞腐ふてくされ
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)
Ateji spelling; it is ateji and it is very uncommon.

Etymology

Derived from the verb ふてくされる (to sulk). The exact origin is uncertain, but it may be related to ふてる (an old verb meaning to sulk) combined with 腐れる (to rot, to become spoiled), giving a sense of 'spoiled mood'.