しつこい

also: しつっこい

し

つ

こ

い

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

しつこい · i-adjective

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	しつこい	しつこくない
Polite	しつこいです	しつこくないですalso しつこくありません
Past polite	しつこかったです	しつこくなかったですalso しつこくありませんでした
Past	しつこかった	しつこくなかった
Te-form	しつこくて	しつこくなくて
Adverbial	しつこく
Conditional	しつこければ	しつこくなければ
Tara conditional	しつこかったら	しつこくなかったら

Meanings

usually written using kana alone

Describes a person or action that is annoyingly persistent, not giving up easily. Often carries a negative nuance of being bothersome.

usually written using kana alone

Used for food or flavors that are overly rich, heavy, or cloying, often leaving an unpleasant aftertaste.

しつこく〈動どう詞し〉to do something persistently/insistently
彼かれはしつこく誘さそってきたので、断ことわりきれなかった。
He kept insistently inviting me, so I couldn't refuse.
しつこい味あじa heavy, overly rich flavor
このソースはしつこい味あじで、後あと味あじが残のこる。
This sauce has a heavy, rich flavor that lingers on the palate.
しつこい〈汚よごれ〉a stubborn stain that won't come out
このシャツのしつこい汚よごれがなかなか落おちない。
This stubborn stain on the shirt just won't come out.
しつこい咳せきa persistent, lingering cough
風邪かぜが治なおったのに、しつこい咳せきが続つづいている。
My cold is gone, but I still have this persistent cough.
しつこく食くい下さがるto stubbornly keep pressing or arguing
記き者しゃはしつこく食くい下さがって質しつ問もんを続つづけた。
The reporter kept stubbornly pressing with more questions.

くどいN2sense 1
くどい often implies wordy or repetitive speech or an overly heavy taste, while しつこい applies more broadly to persistent actions or people as well as rich food.
うるさいN5sense 1
うるさい means 'noisy' or generally 'annoying', whereas しつこい specifically points to repetitive, unrelenting behavior or an overly rich taste.
執しゅう念ねん深ぶかい sense 1
執念深い stresses holding a grudge or obsession over time, while しつこい more generally describes bothersome persistence in the moment.
執しつ拗よう
しつこい is the everyday, colloquial word for being annoyingly persistent, while 執拗 is more formal and literary in tone.

Show 3 more

ネチネチN1
しつこい is an adjective describing persistent, nagging behavior, while ネチネチ is an adverb that adds the image of a clinging, drawn-out manner to that persistence.
ベタベタN1
しつこい describes persistent, annoying clinginess in general behavior, while ベタベタ specifically pictures physical closeness or constant touching between people.
粘ねばり強づよいN2
しつこい implies annoying, excessive persistence that others find irritating, while 粘り強い describes admirable, steady determination.

あっさりN1sense 2
あっさり describes a light, simple taste or a person who lets things go easily, the opposite of the heavy, clinging quality of しつこい.

くどいN2sense 1
くどい and しつこい both describe excessive persistence or heaviness, but くどい leans toward wordiness or an overdone taste while しつこい stresses refusal to stop or let go.
粘ねばるN1
しつこい is an adjective describing annoying, excessive persistence (e.g. in pestering someone), while 粘る is a verb for admirable or determined persistence in a task.

しつこいUsage97%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
しつっこいUsage3%
kana-only spelling
Emphatic colloquial variant; less common than しつこい.
シツコイUsage<1%
執拗しつこい
Kanji form is rare and mainly used in literary or formal contexts.

The origin is uncertain. It may be related to the emphatic prefix しっ (as in しっかり) combined with こい (from 濃い, 'thick, rich'), but this is speculative.