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悪あがき (わるあがき) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
useless resistance ; vain struggle
Describes a futile effort to resist or struggle against an inevitable outcome; often used when someone is flailing or making a last-ditch attempt that is bound to fail.
。
His counterargument was nothing more than a vain struggle.
Written forms 悪わる あがき Usage 96%
Standard mixed kanji-kana spelling; widely used and easily readable.
悪わる 足あ 掻が き Usage 4%
Full kanji spelling; less common but still encountered.
Kanji 足 leg, foot, be sufficient Similar words 無む 駄だ な 抵てい 抗こう A more literal phrase meaning 'futile resistance'; 悪あがき carries a stronger nuance of desperate, flailing struggle.
足あ 掻が く The verb meaning 'to struggle' or 'to paw the ground'; 悪あがき is the noun form with the prefix 悪 (bad/wrong), emphasizing the futility.
Etymology Compound of 悪 (わる, 'bad, wrong') and 足掻き (あがき, 'struggling, pawing the ground'), the noun form of 足掻く (あがく). The combination conveys a struggle that is misguided or futile.