引ひく手てあまた

ひ

く

て

あ

ま

た

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun

being very popular; being in great demand

Describes a person or thing that is sought after by many, often used in contexts like job offers, invitations, or romantic interest.

彼かれは引ひく手てあまたのエンジニアで、いくつもの会かい社しゃからオファーが来きている。
He is an engineer in great demand, receiving offers from several companies.
あの俳はい優ゆうは引ひく手てあまたで、次つぎの仕し事ごとがすぐに決きまる。
That actor is very popular and quickly lands his next role.

See all 4 example sentences ›

Kanji

引pull, tug, jerk
手hand
数number, strength, fate
多many, frequent, much

Related words

人にん気き
人気 is general 'popularity', while 引く手あまた emphasizes being actively sought after or in high demand, often with a nuance of many suitors or offers.
引ひっ張ぱりだこ
引っ張りだこ is a more casual, vivid expression for being in high demand, literally 'pulled-apart octopus', while 引く手あまた is slightly more formal and often used in written language.

Written forms

引ひく手てあまた
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling.
引ひく手て数多あまた
Alternate spelling using 数多 for あまた; less common but still seen.

Etymology

From 引く手 (hiku te, 'pulling hand', i.e., someone who invites or seeks) + あまた (amata, 'many'). The phrase literally means 'many pulling hands', indicating that many people are trying to attract or recruit someone.