Word
Kana: たいくつ Romaji: taikutsu Level: N3

退屈

Meaning in English

boredom, boring, dull

Stroke order

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退
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Dictionary

Word context

What it means

What does taikutsu mean? It denotes the feeling of boredom and dullness in a situation or activity. For an English speaker, taikutsu describes both a state of mind and the quality of activities that fail to engage.

Main meanings

  • State of being bored or uninterested in a current activity
  • Describing a person, a situation, or a thing as dull or repetitive
  • Used with する to express becoming bored
  • Descriptive use with だ/です to label a scene as boring

How to use it

Used as a noun or na-adjective to describe boredom; common in casual talk and formal writing when referring to dull lectures, repetitive chores, or unengaging media. Typical constructions include 退屈だ, 退屈な話, 退屈する, and 退屈を感じる.

Variants and close terms

  • つまらない (tsumaranai) — boring
  • 面白い (omoshiroi) — interesting
  • 退屈な話 (taikutsu na hanashi) — a dull talk

Composition

  • 退: retreat, backward movement
  • 屈: bend, yield
  • Together, the characters convey a sense of being pushed back or unable to move forward, which in turn evokes a feeling of dullness or disengagement

Word class

Noun/na-adjective (na-adjective)

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