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うなだれる Japanese meaning | Kotomora

うなだれる

う

な

だ

れ

る

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

hang one's head; droop one's head

usually written using kana alone

Describes a person lowering their head in dejection, shame, or disappointment.

彼かれは叱しかられてうなだれた。
He hung his head after being scolded.
不ふ合ごう格かくの知しらせ

に

、

彼かの

女じょ

は

がっくり

と

うなだれ

た

。

At the news of failing, she drooped her head in disappointment.

Written forms

うなだれるUsage92%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 項垂れる is rare.
項垂うなだれるUsage6%
Rare kanji spelling; 項 means 'nape' and 垂れる means 'to hang down'.
うな垂だれるUsage2%
Mixed kana-kanji form; included for search coverage.

Kanji

項paragraph, nape of neck, clause
垂droop, suspend, hang

Similar words

俯うつむく
うつむく means to look down or bow one's head, often simply facing downward, while うなだれる specifically implies drooping the head due to sadness or shame.

Etymology

Compound of 項 (una, 'nape of the neck') and 垂れる (tareru, 'to hang down'). The exact derivation is uncertain, but the word likely originated from the image of the head hanging forward from the nape.