うつうつ

う

つ

う

つ

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

usually written using kana alone

Describes a person's mood or atmosphere as heavy, depressed, and lacking hope. Often used with ～とした or ～としている to describe a state.

憂ゆう鬱うつ
憂鬱 is a more common and clinical term for depression or melancholy, often used as a noun or na-adjective. うつうつ is more literary and emphasizes a lingering gloomy state.
陰いん気き
陰気 describes a gloomy or somber atmosphere or personality, often with a nuance of darkness or lack of cheer. うつうつ focuses more on internal melancholy.

うつうつUsage16%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 鬱々, 鬱鬱, 欝々, 欝欝 are rare and may not be recognized by all readers.
鬱うつ々うつUsage71%
Rare kanji spelling; the character 鬱 is complex and often avoided in everyday writing.
鬱うつ鬱うつUsage6%
Rare kanji spelling; same as 鬱々 but using the repeated kanji form.
ウツウツUsage5%
欝うつ々うつUsage2%
Rare variant using the simplified character 欝.
欝うつ欝うつ
Rare variant using the simplified character 欝 in repeated form.

The reduplicated Sino-Japanese form 鬱々, from 鬱 “gloomy or depressed,” expresses a sustained state of melancholy.