やけ

や

け

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun, na-adjective

usually written using kana alone

A state of reckless despair where one gives up on caring about consequences. Often used in phrases like やけになる or やけを起こす.

彼かれは失しつ恋れんして、やけになって酒さけを飲のみすぎた。
He got desperate after a broken heart and drank too much.
やけを起おこして仕し事ごとを辞やめてしまった。
In despair, I ended up quitting my job.

Written forms

やけUsage85%
Usually written in kana. The kanji form 自棄 is also used, but less common.
ヤケUsage9%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, sometimes used for emphasis or in informal writing.
焼やけUsage4%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form for this meaning; more commonly read as やけ for 'burning' or 'jealousy'.
自棄やけUsage2%
Kanji form, less common than kana. The reading やけ is standard.

Kanji

自oneself
棄abandon, throw away, discard
焼bake, burning

Similar words

自じ暴ぼう自じ棄き
A four-character compound meaning 'desperation' or 'abandoning oneself to despair', often used in more formal or emphatic contexts. やけ is more colloquial and commonly used in everyday speech.
絶ぜつ望ぼう
Means 'hopelessness' or 'despair' in a more general sense, without the reckless, self-destructive nuance of やけ.

Etymology

Derived from the verb 焼ける (やける, 'to burn'), metaphorically extended to a state of being 'burned up' with despair or reckless emotion. The kanji 自棄 is an ateji assignment based on meaning.

やけ

や

け