あっけ

あ

っ

け

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

dumbfoundedness; being taken aback; state of shock

usually written using kana alone

Describes a momentary feeling of being stunned, speechless, or let down by an unexpectedly simple or anticlimactic outcome. Often used in the phrase あっけにとられる (to be dumbfounded) or あっけない (anticlimactic).

あまりにあっけない結けつ末まつに、あっけにとられた。
I was dumbfounded by the overly abrupt ending.
彼かれの突とつ然ぜんの辞じ職しょくに、みんなあっけにとられていた。
Everyone was taken aback by his sudden resignation.

See all 13 example sentences ›

Expressions

あっけにとられるbe taken aback; be astonished; be dumbfounded

Kanji

呆be amazed, disgusted, shocked
気spirit, mind, air

Related words

呆然ぼうぜんN1
呆然 describes being stunned into a blank, absent-minded daze (often from grief or shock), while 呆気 names the fleeting shock of being caught off guard, almost always in the set phrase 呆気にとられる.
唖あ然ぜんN1
唖然 stresses being left speechless with surprise, while 呆気 focuses on the momentary letdown or bewilderment at an unexpectedly quick or simple outcome.
驚おどろきN1
驚き is the general, everyday noun for surprise of any kind, whereas 呆気 specifically describes the stunned, deflated feeling when something anticlimactic happens.

Don't confuse with

あっけないN1
あっけない is the i-adjective meaning 'anticlimactic' or 'over too quickly', while 呆気 is the noun naming the state of being dumbfounded, chiefly seen in 呆気にとられる.

Word family

あっけらかん
unconcernedly; nonchalantly; as if nothing happened · blankly; vacantly; absentmindedly

Written forms

あっけUsage59%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms are ateji and rare.
呆あっ気けUsage37%
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)
Ateji spelling; rarely used in modern writing.
あっ気けUsage4%
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)
Mixed kana-kanji ateji spelling; very rare.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. The kanji 呆気 is ateji, and the word is likely of native Japanese mimetic or sound-symbolic origin, related to the feeling of being stunned or let down.