立たつ瀬せがない

た

つ

せ

が

な

い

立つ瀬がない · i-adjective

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	立たつ瀬せがない	立たつ瀬せがなくない
Polite	立たつ瀬せがないです	立たつ瀬せがなくないですalso 立たつ瀬せがなくありません
Past polite	立たつ瀬せがなかったです	立たつ瀬せがなくなかったですalso 立たつ瀬せがなくありませんでした
Past	立たつ瀬せがなかった	立たつ瀬せがなくなかった
Te-form	立たつ瀬せがなくて	立たつ瀬せがなくなくて
Adverbial	立たつ瀬せがなく
Conditional	立たつ瀬せがなければ	立たつ瀬せがなくなければ
Tara conditional	立たつ瀬せがなかったら	立たつ瀬せがなくなかったら

Meanings

expression, i-adjective

lose face; be in an awkward position; have no leg to stand on

Describes a situation where one's social standing or justification is lost, leaving them embarrassed or unable to maintain their position. Often used when someone is proven wrong or outmaneuvered.

みんなの前まえで嘘うそがばれて、立たつ瀬せがなかった。
My lie was exposed in front of everyone, and I lost face completely.
彼かれは上じょう司しに厳きびしく叱しかられて、立たつ瀬せがない様よう子すだった。
He was harshly scolded by his boss and looked like he had no leg to stand on.

See all 5 example sentences ›

Kanji

立stand up, rise, set up
瀬rapids, current, torrent
無nothingness, none, ain't

Related words

面めん目ぼくを失うしなう
More direct about losing honor or face; 立つ瀬がない focuses on the resulting awkward position rather than the loss itself.
居心地いごこちが悪わるい
Describes general discomfort in a place or situation; 立つ瀬がない specifically implies a loss of standing or justification.

Written forms

立たつ瀬せがない
Standard kanji spelling for this fixed expression.
立たつ瀬せが無ない
Variant using 無い instead of ない; slightly more formal or written.

Etymology

Literally 'there is no shallows to stand on.' 瀬 (せ) originally means a shallow part of a river where one can stand. The phrase figuratively means having no place to stand, i.e., no ground to support one's position.