呟く

What it means

What does 呟く mean? It means to utter in a soft, low voice, typically to oneself, or to post a brief thought on social media; the core idea is a small, quiet vocalization rather than a full spoken statement to a broad audience.

Main meanings

• 1) mutter under one's breath, a low private utterance
• 2) post a brief update on social media, a short informal message
• 3) utter a quiet remark in writing to reveal a character's inner state

How to use it

Used in casual conversation and narrative; when muttering, 呟く describes soft, private vocalization, often about something one does not want others to hear; when referring to online activity, it denotes posting brief personal thoughts; in fiction, it can describe a character whispering or muttering to reveal inner state. Examples: 小さな声で呟く (chiisana koe de tsubuyaku); SNSに今日の気持ちを呟く (SNS ni kyou no kibun o tsubuyaku).