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手一杯 (ていっぱい, teippai) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

手て一いっ杯ぱい

て

い

っ

ぱ

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

na-adjective, noun

having one's hands full; at the limit; fully occupied

Describes a state where one is completely busy or has no capacity to take on more work or tasks. Often used with で to indicate the reason.

今こん週しゅうは仕し事ごとが手て一いっ杯ぱいで、他ほかのことは

何なに

も

でき

ない

。

I'm fully occupied with work this week and can't do anything else.

手て一いっ杯ぱいの状じょう態たいなので、新あたらしいプロジェクトは引ひき受うけられません。

I'm at my limit right now, so I can't take on any new projects.

Kanji

手hand
一one, one radical (no.1)
杯counter for cupfuls, wine glass, glass

Related words

手てが回まわるN1
手一杯 describes having one's hands already full with no room for more, close to the negative use of 手が回る (手が回らない) for being overstretched, though it lacks the pursuit sense of 手が回る.
手てが離はなせないN2
手一杯 describes having one's hands (or capacity) completely full with work, while 手が離せない focuses on being unable to step away from what one is doing right now.

Built from

手て+一いっ杯ぱい

Written forms

手て一いっ杯ぱい
Standard kanji spelling.
手ていっぱい
Mixed kana-kanji spelling, sometimes used for readability.

Etymology

Compound of 手 (hand, capacity) and 一杯 (full, one cupful), literally 'hands full'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the meaning is transparent from its components.