Translation guide
The English word "mire" refers to a difficult, entangled situation or literal deep mud. This guide focuses on the metaphorical sense of being stuck in a problematic situation, as the literal sense is less common in everyday English.
Expressing being stuck in a problematic, complicated, or messy situation, often with a sense of entanglement or difficulty in getting out.
Literally 'mud swamp', this is the most direct and common metaphorical equivalent for 'mire'. It describes a situation that is messy, difficult to escape, and often worsening.
Referring to actual wet, soft, deep mud that is difficult to walk through.
English often uses 'mire' as a verb (e.g., 'mired in controversy'). Japanese does not have a direct verb equivalent. Use phrases like 泥沼にはまる or 陥る (おちいる) to express the idea of being stuck.
彼はスキャンダルに陥った。
He got mired in scandal.
泥沼 is particularly effective when the situation is not just difficult but also seems to get worse the more you struggle, like a quagmire. It carries a strong sense of entanglement and hopelessness.
その国は内戦の泥沼にはまっている。
That country is mired in civil war.
借金の泥沼から抜け出せない。
I can't get out of the mire of debt.
A common phrase meaning 'to get stuck in a mire'. It emphasizes the action of falling into a difficult situation.
彼はギャンブルの泥沼にはまった。
He got mired in gambling.
Means 'predicament' or 'difficult situation'. It is more formal and less vivid than 泥沼, but can be used when the situation is serious and hard to escape.
彼は窮地に陥っている。
He is in a mire.
Means 'plight' or 'difficult situation'. Similar to 窮地 but slightly less formal. It implies suffering and hardship.
会社は苦境に立たされている。
The company is in a mire.
A descriptive phrase meaning 'a situation one cannot escape from'. It is a clear, neutral way to express being mired without a specific metaphor.
彼は抜け出せない状況にいる。
He is in a mire.
The same word used metaphorically also means a literal muddy swamp or bog. It is the standard term for a mire in the physical sense.
車が泥沼にはまって動けなくなった。
The car got stuck in the mire and couldn't move.
Refers to muddy ground, often after rain. It is less deep than 泥沼 and more about surface mud.
道がぬかるみで歩きにくい。
The path is a mire and hard to walk on.
Means 'wetland' or 'marsh'. It is a more technical or geographical term for a swampy area, not necessarily deep mud.
その湿地は渡り鳥の生息地だ。
The mire is a habitat for migratory birds.