Expressions 抜ぬ き 足あし で stealthily; on tiptoe; without making a sound Kanji 抜 slip out, extract, pull out 足 leg, foot, be sufficient Related words 差さ し 足あし 差し足 refers to stepping forward quietly, often used together with 抜き足 in the phrase 抜き足差し足 to describe overall stealthy movement.
忍しの び 足あし 忍び足 also means stealthy footsteps, but carries a stronger nuance of sneaking or moving secretly, often associated with ninja or covert actions.
Written forms 抜ぬ き 足あし Usage 55%
ぬき 足あし Usage 30%
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; sometimes used for clarity.
ぬきあし Usage 15%
抜ぬき 足あし
Variant without okurigana; less common.
Etymology Compound of 抜き (nuki, 'pulling out, removing') + 足 (ashi, 'foot, step'), literally 'withdrawing step', referring to the action of lifting the foot quietly.
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