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気が滅入る (きがめいる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, godan verb (-ru)
feel depressed ; feel down ; feel gloomy
Describes a state where one's mood sinks or becomes heavy, often due to worry, bad weather, or unpleasant situations. The subject is usually the person whose spirits are low.
See also: 滅入る
彼かれ は 仕し 事ごと の ストレス で 気き が 滅め 入い っ て いる 。
He is feeling down because of work stress.
Written forms 気き が 滅め 入い る
Standard kanji spelling for this expression.
気き がめいる
Kana spelling of the verb part; common in everyday writing.
Kanji 滅 destroy, ruin, overthrow Similar words 滅め 入い る 滅入る alone means 'to feel depressed' or 'to sink into gloom', but it is less common and often used in the set phrase 気が滅入る. The standalone verb can sound more literary or old-fashioned.
落お ち 込こ む 落ち込む is a more common and versatile word for 'to feel down' or 'to be depressed'. 気が滅入る emphasizes a gradual sinking of mood, often due to external circumstances, while 落ち込む can refer to a sharper drop in spirits.
Etymology The expression combines 気 (spirit, mood) with 滅入る (to sink into gloom). 滅入る is a compound of 滅 (destroy, ruin) and 入る (enter), suggesting a mood that falls into a ruined or depressed state. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase has been used since at least the Edo period.
