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てんてこ舞い (てんてこまい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

てんてこ舞まい

て

ん

て

こ

ま

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

whirl of busyness; flurry of activity; being rushed off one's feet

Describes a state of being extremely busy, often with a sense of frantic movement. Commonly used in the expression てんてこ舞いになる or てんてこ舞いだ.

年ねん末まつは仕し事ごとでてんてこ舞まいだ。
At the end of the year, I'm rushed off my feet with work.
急きゅうな注ちゅう文もんが入はいって、工こう場じょう

は

てんてこ

舞ま

い

に

なっ

た

。

A sudden order came in and the factory was thrown into a flurry of activity.

Written forms

てんてこ舞まいUsage53%
Standard kana-kanji mixed spelling. The most common written form.
てんてこまいUsage35%
テンテコマイUsage8%
天てん手て古こ舞まいUsage4%
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)rarely-used kanji form
Ateji kanji form. Rarely used; learners should avoid this spelling.
てんてこ舞まい
Variant without the final い. Less common but still encountered.
天てん手て古こ舞まい
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)rarely-used kanji form
Ateji kanji form with final い. Rarely used; learners should avoid this spelling.

Kanji

舞dance, flit, circle
天heavens, sky, imperial
手hand
古

Similar words

忙いそがしい
忙しい is a general adjective for 'busy'. てんてこ舞い emphasizes a more chaotic, physically active busyness, often implying being overwhelmed.
目めが回まわる
目が回る literally means 'one's eyes spin' and figuratively means 'to be extremely busy'. てんてこ舞い has a similar nuance but is more colloquial and vivid.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. It may be related to the sound of a drum (てんてこ) combined with 舞い (dance), evoking a frantic, whirling dance. The kanji 天手古 are ateji.

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