立たち止どまる

た

ち

ど

ま

る

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

stop; halt; pause; stand still

Describes stopping while walking or moving; often implies a sudden or momentary halt. Can be used literally or figuratively for pausing in an activity.

彼かれは急きゅうに立たち止どまって、後うしろを振ふり返かえった。
He suddenly stopped and looked back.

考かんがえ事ごとをしながら歩あるいていたら、いつの間まにか立たち止どまっていた。

While walking and thinking, I found myself standing still without realizing it.

Written forms

立ち止まるUsage70%
- たちどまる
  Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
- たちとまる
  out-dated reading
立たちどまるUsage23%
search-only kanji form
立たち止どまるUsage4%
search-only kanji form
Search-only variant; not recommended for active use.
立たち止どまるUsage2%
search-only kanji form
たちどまるUsage2%
Kana spelling; used when the kanji is not needed or for clarity.
立たち留どまるUsage<1%
search-only kanji form
たちとまる
out-dated reading

Kanji

立stand up, rise, set up
止stop, halt
留detain, fasten, halt

Similar words

止とまる
止まる is a general intransitive verb for stopping (vehicles, movement, etc.). 立ち止まる specifically means stopping while standing or walking, emphasizing the act of halting one's steps.
立たち往おう生じょう
立ち往生 means being stranded or stuck and unable to move (e.g., a car in snow), whereas 立ち止まる is a voluntary or momentary stop.

Etymology

Compound of 立ち (the continuative form of 立つ 'to stand') + 止まる ('to stop'). The reading たちどまる is a standard rendaku form.