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むせる Japanese meaning | Kotomora

むせる

む

せ

る

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

choke; be choked by; be stifled by

usually written using kana alone

Describes choking on food, drink, smoke, or strong emotions; often used with particles like に (on something) or で (due to something).

水みずを飲のんでむせた。
I choked on the water.
煙けむりでむせて咳せきが出で

た

。

I choked on the smoke and coughed.

Written forms

むせるUsage85%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 噎せる and 咽せる are rare and may not be recognized by all readers.
噎むせるUsage10%
Rare kanji form; the character 噎 is not commonly used.
咽むせるUsage3%
Rare kanji form; the character 咽 is not commonly used.
咽むせるUsage2%
irregular okurigana
Irregular okurigana usage; very rare.

Kanji

噎choke, smother
咽throat, choked, smothered

Similar words

詰つまらせる
詰まらせる is transitive and means 'to choke someone' or 'to block', while むせる is intransitive and describes the involuntary choking reaction.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain; it may be related to the mimetic word むずむず (feeling irritated or ticklish) or the verb 蒸す (to steam), but the exact derivation is unclear.