JLPT · Level 61
45 words
Japanese word
お手上げ
Pronunciation
Romajioteage
Meaning
- nounbeing at a loss
Example
この問題はお手上げです。ko no mon dai wa o te a ge de su
I am completely at a loss with this problem.
More examples
何度試しても直らないので、私たちはお手上げです。nan do tame shi te mo nao ra na i no de watashi ta chi wa o te a ge de su
It will not work no matter how many times we try, so we are at a loss.
Core concept
Expresses the point at which a person has no effective way to act and must admit defeat.
Common phrases
お手上げになるo te a ge ni na ru
become unable to cope
Similar words
手詰まりtezumari: A condition in which progress stops because no workable next step is found.
行き詰まりikizumari: A state in which progress or a plan stops because no way forward is found.
降参kōsan: An admission that one cannot win or continue resisting.
万事休すbanjikyūsu: A situation in which every possible measure has failed and nothing more can be done.
Definition in Japanese
力や手段がなく、どうすることもできず、解決や対処をあきらめること。chikara ya shu dan ga na ku dō su ru ko to mo de ki zu kai ketsu ya tai sho o a ki ra me ru ko to
Word origin
The noun お手上げ (oteage, "raising one's hands") comes from 手を上げる (te o ageru, "to raise one's hands"), a gesture that can signal surrender, and describes having no way to cope.
Usage tips
- Unlike the English phrase "hands up," お手上げ (oteage) usually describes admitting that a problem cannot be solved or controlled rather than telling someone to raise their hands.
Other meanings
- giving upnoun
- being helplessnoun