持もて余あます

も

て

あ

ま

す

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

持て余す · godan verb (-su)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	持もて余あます	持もて余あまさない
Polite	持もて余あまします	持もて余あましません
Past polite	持もて余あましました	持もて余あましませんでした
Past	持もて余あました	持もて余あまさなかった
Te-form	持もて余あまして	持もて余あまさないで
Desire	持もて余あましたい	持もて余あましたくない
Potential	持もて余あませる	持もて余あませない
Passive	持もて余あまされる	持もて余あまされない
Causative	持もて余あまさせる	持もて余あまさせない
Causative passive	持もて余あまさせられる	持もて余あまさせられない
Volitional	持もて余あまそう
Polite volitional	持もて余あましましょう
Imperative	持もて余あませ	持もて余あますな
Conditional	持もて余あませば	持もて余あまさなければ
Tara conditional	持もて余あましたら	持もて余あまさなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

be too much to handle; not know what to do with; find unmanageable

Used when someone has more than they can deal with, such as excess time, energy, or a difficult person/thing. Often implies being at a loss or overwhelmed.

夏なつ休やすみの長ながさを持もて余あましている。
I don't know what to do with all the free time during summer vacation.
彼かれは自じ分ぶんの才さい能のうを持もて余あましているように見みえる。
He seems to be at a loss with his own talent, not knowing how to use it.

See all 15 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

暇ひまを持もて余あますto have too much free time and not know what to do with it
退たい職しょくしてから暇ひまを持もて余あましている。
Since retiring, I've had so much free time I don't know what to do with it.
時じ間かんを持もて余あますto have excess time with no way to use it
電でん車しゃが遅おくれて、駅えきで時じ間かんを持もて余あました。
The train was late, and I had time to kill at the station.
力ちからを持もて余あますto have excess energy with nowhere to release it
子こ犬いぬは力ちからを持もて余あまして部屋へや中じゅうを走はしり回まわった。
The puppy had so much pent-up energy that it ran all around the room.
〈人ひと〉を持もて余あますto not know how to deal with a difficult person
先せん生せいはいたずら好ずきの生せい徒とを持もて余あましていた。
The teacher didn't know what to do with the mischievous student.

Kanji

持hold, have
余too much, myself, surplus

Related words

手てに負おえないN1
手に負えない describes an object or person as inherently unmanageable, while 持て余す describes the subject's own feeling of being overwhelmed by too much of something.
手てに余あまるN1
手に余る means something exceeds one's ability to handle, similar to 持て余す, but it stresses the task being beyond one's capacity rather than not knowing what to do with an excess.
手てを焼やくN1
持て余す emphasizes being unable to manage an excess or burden (like free time or energy), whereas 手を焼く focuses on the difficulty of dealing with a troublesome person or matter.

Opposites

使つかいこなすN1
使いこなす means to skillfully make full use of something, the opposite of 持て余す, which means to have no idea what to do with it.

Don't confuse with

もてなすN2
持て余す (to not know what to do with something, to be stuck with a burden) looks similar to 持て成す but has an unrelated meaning.

Built from

持もてる+余あます

Written forms

持もて余あますUsage40%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
もてあますUsage43%
持もてあますUsage9%
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; less common but still encountered.
もて余あますUsage7%
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; less common but still encountered.

Etymology

Compound of 持つ (motsu, 'to hold') in its continuative form 持ち (mochi) + 余す (amasu, 'to leave over, to have in excess'). The 持ち changes to 持て (mote) via a euphonic shift. Literally 'to hold and have left over,' i.e., to have more than one can handle.