手て持もち無ぶ沙さ汰た

て

も

ち

ぶ

さ

た

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun, na-adjective

having nothing to do; being at a loose end; bored

Describes a state of idleness or boredom, often with a nuance of not knowing how to pass the time. Commonly used as a noun or na-adjective.

待まち時じ間

かん

が

長なが

く

て

、

手て

持も

ち

無ぶ

沙さ

汰た

だっ

た

。

The wait was so long that I had nothing to do and felt bored.

彼かれは手て持もち無ぶ沙さ汰たにスマホをいじっている。

He is fiddling with his smartphone out of boredom.

Kanji

手hand
持hold, have
無nothingness, none, ain't
沙sand
汰washing, sieving, filtering

Related words

退たい屈くつ
退屈 is a more general term for boredom or dullness, while 手持ち無沙汰 specifically implies having free time with nothing to occupy one's hands or mind.
暇ひま
暇 simply means free time or being unoccupied, without the strong nuance of not knowing what to do that 手持ち無沙汰 carries.

Built from

手て持もち+無ぶ沙さ汰

Written forms

手て持もち無ぶ沙さ汰た
Standard kanji spelling.
手て持もちぶさた
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; common in everyday writing.
手て持もち無ぶ沙さ汰た
Variant without okurigana; less common.

Etymology

Compound of 手持ち (hand-held, in one's hands) and 無沙汰 (no news, neglect). The combination suggests having nothing to do with one's hands, i.e., being idle or bored.

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