煙けむたい

け

む

た

い

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

i-adjective

smoky; full of smoke

Describes a place or air that is filled with smoke, making it uncomfortable for the eyes or breathing.

部屋へやが煙けむたくて目めが痛いたい。
The room is smoky and my eyes hurt.

2

i-adjective

awkward; uncomfortable

; ill at ease

Used for a person or atmosphere that feels stiff, distant, or hard to approach, often because of a sense of obligation or formality.

上じょう司しと二人ふたりきりだと煙けむたい。
It's awkward being alone with my boss.

Written forms

煙たいUsage88%
- けむたい
  Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
- けぶたい
けむたいUsage12%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing.
烟たい
rarely-used kanji form
- けむたい
  Rarely used kanji form; 烟 is a variant of 煙.
- けぶたい
けぶたい

Kanji

煙smoke
烟smoke

Similar words

煙けむい
煙い also means 'smoky', but is less common and slightly more literary than 煙たい.
気きまずい
気まずい means 'awkward' in the sense of embarrassment or tension between people, while 煙たい implies a more distant, uncomfortable feeling due to formality or obligation.

Etymology

Derived from 煙 (smoke) + たい (adjectival suffix expressing a sensation or state). The figurative 'awkward' sense likely developed from the idea of feeling choked or uncomfortable, as if surrounded by smoke.