長々
Meanings
adverb taking the 'to' particle, adverb
at length; long-windedly; tediously
Describes speaking, writing, or explaining in a way that goes on too long, often with a negative or critical tone. Commonly used with verbs like 話す, 説明する, 書く.
He talked at length about his failure.
Please stop giving long-winded explanations in meetings.
adverb taking the 'to' particle, adverb
stretching far; lying at full length
Describes something physically extending a long way, or a person lying down stretched out. Often used with 伸びる, 横たわる, or similar verbs.
I lay stretched out on the sandy beach and read a book.
The line stretched on and on.
Usage patterns
- 長々と話すto talk on at length
He went on and on talking about his own failures.
- 長々と横たわるto lie stretched out at full length
The cat was lying stretched out on the porch.
- 長々と説明するto explain at tedious length
The manager explained the purpose of the meeting at tedious length.
- 長々と伸びるto stretch out over a long distance
The coastline stretches out far into the distance.
- 長々と書くto write at excessive length
She wrote a long, drawn-out letter of apology.