みすみす

み

す

み

す

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

adverb

before one's eyes; right in front of one; helplessly

usually written using kana alone

Describes a situation where something undesirable happens right in front of you while you are unable or unwilling to stop it. Often used with verbs like 逃す, 見逃す, 負ける, or 失う. Carries a nuance of frustration or regret.

みすみすチャンスを逃のがしてしまった。
I let the chance slip away right before my eyes.
彼かれはみすみす敵てきにやられてしまった。
He was helplessly defeated by the enemy right in front of him.

See all 6 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

みすみす〈物もの〉を逃のがすto let something slip away right before one's eyes
せっかくのチャンスをみすみす逃のがしてしまった。
I let a golden opportunity slip right before my eyes.
みすみす〈相あい手て〉に負まけるto lose to an opponent while watching it happen helplessly
実じつ力りょくがあったのに、みすみす相あい手てに負まけてしまった。
Even though we had the ability, we lost to our opponent right before our eyes.
みすみす〈物もの〉を失うしなうto lose something helplessly, unable to stop it
彼かれはみすみす財ざい産さんを失うしなった。
He lost his fortune right before his eyes, unable to do anything about it.

Kanji

見see, hopes, chances

Related words

目まの当あたりN1
目の当たり simply means witnessing something directly with one's own eyes, whereas みすみす adds the sense of watching a bad outcome unfold helplessly and with regret.

Don't confuse with

うかうかN1
Both みすみす and うかうか describe a bad outcome one failed to prevent, but みすみす stresses watching helplessly with regret while うかうか stresses careless inattention as the cause.

Written forms

みすみすUsage98%
It is usually written in kana. The kanji form 見す見す exists but is rare.
見みす見みすUsage2%
Kanji spelling; rarely used in modern Japanese. Included for recognition.

Etymology

Derived from the verb 見る (to see) reduplicated, literally 'seeing, seeing'. The exact historical development is uncertain, but it has long been used adverbially to express witnessing something helplessly.