窮屈 (きゅうくつ) Japanese meaning

窮屈 (きゅうくつ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

Kanji

窮hard up, destitute, suffer
屈yield, bend, flinch

Related words· 6

狭せまいN5sense 1
狭い is an objective description of physical smallness or narrowness, while 窮屈 conveys the subjective feeling of being cramped or restricted.
堅かた苦くるしいN1sense 2
堅苦しい specifically describes an overly formal, stiff atmosphere or manner, whereas 窮屈 can also describe physical tightness or financial strain.
息いき苦ぐるしいN1sense 3
息苦しい emphasizes a suffocating, hard-to-breathe feeling in a tense situation, while 窮屈 focuses more on the sense of being restricted or hemmed in.
不ふ自じ由ゆうN3sense 3
不自由 describes a broader lack of freedom or convenience, while 窮屈 specifically conveys the cramped, ill-at-ease feeling of being constrained.

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苦くるしいN3sense 4
苦しい describes financial hardship in general terms, while 窮屈 specifically conveys the feeling of a budget being tight or strained.
きついN3
窮屈 describes a cramped, restrictive feeling (of space or clothing), while きつい more directly means physically tight on the body.

Opposites

伸のびやかN1
窮屈 describes a cramped, constrained feeling, the opposite of the free, open quality of 伸びやか.
ゆったりN2
窮屈 describes something cramped or tight, the opposite of ゆったり used for loose clothing or spacious rooms.
のびのびN2
窮屈 describes a cramped, restrictive feeling of being confined, the opposite of the free, relaxed feeling expressed by のびのび.

Don't confuse with

窮きゅう地ち
窮屈 shares the kanji 窮 with 窮地 but means physically or socially cramped/constrained, not a dangerous predicament.

Word family

窮きゅう屈くつ袋ぶくろ
hakama; man's formal divided skirt

Written forms

窮きゅう屈くつUsage95%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency word.
きゅうくつUsage5%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially for the abstract senses.

Etymology

Compound of 窮 (きゅう, 'to be cornered, hard up') and 屈 (くつ, 'to bend, yield'). The combination conveys a sense of being bent into a tight space or constrained situation.

窮きゅう屈くつ

Meanings

Usage patterns