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跼まる (せぐくまる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
godan verb (-ru)
bend down with a round back ; hunch over
Describes a posture where the back is rounded and the body is lowered, often in a cramped or defensive manner. Rare literary word; in modern Japanese, うずくまる or かがむ are more common.
現げん
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見み
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I came across the expression 跼まる in an old novel.
Written forms 跼まる
せくぐまる
Alternate reading variant; both せぐくまる and せくぐまる are used, but せぐくまる is more common.
Similar words うずくまる うずくまる is the common word for crouching or squatting down, often with a sense of staying low. 跼まる is a rare literary synonym focusing on the rounded back.
かがむ かがむ means to bend forward or stoop, but does not necessarily imply a rounded back or defensive posture like 跼まる.
Etymology The origin is uncertain. The kanji 跼 is rare and means 'crouch' or 'bend', likely chosen for its meaning. The reading may be a compound of 背 (se, 'back') + 屈まる (kugumaru, 'bend'), but this is speculative.
