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優柔不断 (ゆうじゅうふだん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

優ゆう柔じゅう不ふ断だん

ゆ

う

じゅ

う

ふ

だ

ん

Common word›Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

na-adjective, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun

indecisive; irresolute; wishy-washy

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)›

Describes a person or attitude that cannot make up its mind; often used critically. A yojijukugo (four-character compound).

彼かれは優ゆう柔じゅう不ふ断だんで、なかなか決けつ断だんできない。

He is indecisive and can't make up his mind easily.

優ゆう柔じゅう不ふ断だんな態たい度どでは、チャンスを逃のがしてしまう。

With a wishy-washy attitude, you'll miss your chance.

Usage patterns

優ゆう柔じゅう不ふ断だんな〈人ひと〉an indecisive person
彼かれは優ゆう柔じゅう不ふ断だんな人ひとで、なかなか決きめられない。
He's an indecisive person and finds it hard to make up his mind.
優ゆう柔じゅう不ふ断だんな態たい度どan indecisive attitude
彼かれの優ゆう柔じゅう不ふ断だんな態たい度どにみんながいらいらした。
Everyone got frustrated with his indecisive attitude.
優ゆう柔じゅう不ふ断だんで〈動どう詞し〉ないto be too indecisive to do something
優ゆう柔じゅう不ふ断だんでどのレストランに行いくか決きめられない。
I'm so indecisive that I can't decide which restaurant to go to.

Kanji

優tenderness, excel, surpass
柔tender, weakness, gentleness
不negative, non-, bad
断severance, decline, refuse

Related words

気き弱よわ
気弱 describes a timid, easily-swayed personality, while 優柔不断 focuses specifically on the inability to decide.
弱よわ気きN2
弱気 describes a lack of confidence or nerve in general, whereas 優柔不断 specifically means being unable to settle on a decision.

Opposites

決けつ断だん力りょく
決断力 is the ability to decide quickly and firmly, the direct opposite of the chronic indecisiveness described by 優柔不断.
果か断だん
果断 describes someone who acts decisively and boldly, contrasting with 優柔不断's inability to make up one's mind.
断だん固こN1
優柔不断 describes indecisiveness and inability to commit, the opposite of the unwavering resolve expressed by 断固.

Don't confuse with

不ふ断だんN3
不断 alone usually means 'constant, continuous' (不断の努力), a very different sense from the indecisiveness meant when it appears inside 優柔不断.

Built from

優ゆう柔じゅう+不ふ断だん

Etymology

A yojijukugo combining 優柔 (gentle, soft) and 不断 (unsettled, not decisive). The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it is a well-established compound for chronic indecisiveness.