うつむく

う

つ

む

く

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

うつむく · godan verb (-ku)

Meanings

godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb

hang one's head; look down; cast one's eyes downward

usually written using kana alone

Describes lowering the head or gaze, often from shame, sadness, or deep thought. Intransitive; the subject is the person who looks down.

恥はずかしくて俯うつむくto hang one's head in embarrassment
彼かれは恥はずかしくて俯うつむいた。
He hung his head in embarrassment.
俯うつむいたまま〈動どう詞し〉to do something with one's head bowed down
彼かの女じょは俯うつむいたまま歩あるいた。
She walked along with her head down.
俯うつむいて黙だまるto lower one's head and fall silent
彼かれは俯うつむいて黙だまってしまった。
He hung his head and fell silent.

俯うつむける
俯く is intransitive (the subject's own head droops), while 俯ける is transitive (someone tilts something, such as their face, downward).

伏ふせるN1
俯く is intransitive and describes one's own head or eyes drooping down, whereas 伏せる is transitive and describes actively lowering one's eyes or head.

仰あおぐN1
俯く means to hang one's head or look down, while 仰ぐ means to look or turn one's face upward.

うつ伏ぶせる
俯く means to lower one's head or gaze (often from emotion), while 俯せる means to lie face down.

うつむくUsage70%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 俯く is also common but less frequent in everyday writing.
俯うつむくUsage26%
Standard kanji form; the character 俯 is not a Jōyō kanji, so kana is often preferred.
俯向うつむくUsage3%
search-only kanji form
Search-only form; not a standard spelling.
うつ向むくUsage1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only form; not a standard spelling.

The derivation is uncertain; the kanji 俯 means 'bend down' or 'look down', and the reading うつむく is a native Japanese verb.