億劫おっくう

also: おくこう · おっこう

お

っ

く

う

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

na-adjective, noun

troublesome; bothersome; tiresome; annoying

Describes a feeling of reluctance or finding something too much effort to do; often used when one feels lazy or unmotivated. Common in everyday speech.

今日きょうは億劫おっくうで、何なにもしたくない。
I feel too lazy today and don't want to do anything.

掃そう除じが億劫おっくうで、つい後あと回まわしにしてしまう。

Cleaning is such a bother that I end up putting it off.

Written forms

億劫Usage59%
- おっくう
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading おっくう is the modern standard.
- おくこう
- おっこう
  out-dated reading
おっくうUsage40%
Common kana spelling, especially in casual writing or when the kanji are considered difficult.
オックウUsage<1%
おくこう
Historical reading; rarely used in modern Japanese.
おっこう
out-dated reading
Obsolete kana usage; not used in contemporary Japanese.

Kanji

億hundred million, 10**8
劫threat, long ages

Similar words

面めん倒どう
面倒 emphasizes trouble or complexity, while 億劫 focuses on the emotional reluctance or lack of motivation to do something.
だるい
だるい is a physical feeling of sluggishness or weariness, whereas 億劫 is more about mental reluctance or finding something bothersome.

Etymology

Originally a Buddhist term meaning 'an immensely long period of time', from Sanskrit kalpa via Chinese. The modern sense of 'troublesome' likely developed from the idea of something being so long or tedious that it becomes a burden.