塞ふさぐ

ふ

さ

ぐ

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

塞ぐ · godan verb (-gu)

Meanings

godan verb (-gu), transitive verb

Transitive use for closing or covering an opening, gap, mouth, eyes, ears, etc. The object is the thing being blocked, covered, or closed.

Transitive / intransitive

塞ぐ is used both transitively, as in 穴を塞ぐ (to plug a hole), and intransitively in the fixed emotional expression 気が塞ぐ (to feel depressed).

塞ふさがるN2
塞ぐ is the transitive counterpart meaning 'to block, to fill, to cover'; 塞がる is intransitive and describes the resulting state.

Related words· 7

遮さえぎるN1sense 2
遮る means to cut off or interrupt movement, sight, sound, or speech, while 塞ぐ more strongly suggests physically covering or plugging an opening or route.
占しめるN3sense 3
占める is a neutral verb for occupying a position or proportion of space, whereas 塞ぐ implies that the occupied space becomes blocked or unavailable.
果はたすN2sense 4
果たす is the modern, common verb for fulfilling a duty or role, while 塞ぐ in this sense is rare and old-fashioned.
鬱ふさぐ sense 5
鬱ぐ is an alternate-kanji entry used specifically for the emotional sense, while 塞ぐ also covers this meaning in the common phrase 気が塞ぐ.

Show 3 more

詰つまらせる
塞ぐ means to block or close off an opening in general, while 詰まらせる specifically means to cause something (like a pipe or throat) to become clogged, often unintentionally.
閉とざす
塞ぐ means to block or plug a hole or opening, while 閉ざす focuses on closing off an entrance or passage, often with a sense of isolation.
封ふうじる
塞ぐ means to physically block or plug a gap or passage, while 封じる is used more for stopping abstract things like speech, movement, or access.

Don't confuse with

防ふせぐN3
防ぐ (ふせぐ) sounds similar to 塞ぐ (ふさぐ) but means to prevent or defend against something, not to physically block or cover it.
堰せく
塞ぐ (ふさぐ) means to block or stop up an opening in general, whereas 堰く (せく) specifically means to dam up flowing water; the shared kanji 塞/堰 and similar meaning make them easy to mix up.