Word
退屈
Meaning in Englishboredom, boring, dull
Animated kanji stroke order
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)