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気まずい (きまずい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
JLPT N2 Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
i-adjective
awkward ; uncomfortable ; embarrassing
Describes an atmosphere or feeling between people that is strained, uneasy, or embarrassing, often after a disagreement or when someone feels out of place.
初しょ 対たい 面めん の 人ひと ばかり で 、 なん だ か 気き まずかっ た 。
It was all people I was meeting for the first time, so I felt somewhat awkward.
Written forms 気き まずい Usage 98%
きまずい Usage 2%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing.
気き 不味まず い
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
Similar words 気き 持も ち 悪わる い 気持ち悪い means 'creepy' or 'gross', a physical or instinctive discomfort, while 気まずい is about social awkwardness.
恥は ずかしい 恥ずかしい is 'embarrassed' or 'shy', focused on one's own feeling of shame, whereas 気まずい describes the mutual awkwardness in a situation.
Etymology Compound of 気 (ki, 'feeling, mood') and まずい (mazui, 'bad, unpleasant'). The exact derivation is uncertain, but it likely developed from the sense of a 'bad atmosphere' between people.
