Japanese word

窮屈

Pronunciation

Romajikyūkutsu

Meaning

  • na-adjectivecramped

Example

この部屋は四人で使うと窮屈です。ko no heya wa yo nin de tsuka u to kyū kutsu de su

This room is cramped for four people.

Illustration for 窮屈 (cramped)

More examples

この靴は足の指を自由に動かせず、窮屈です。ko no kutsu wa ashi no yubi o ji yū ni ugo ka se zu kyū kutsu de su

These shoes are so tight that I cannot move my toes.

Core concept

Presents a physical or figurative condition in which limited room makes movement or behavior feel restricted.

Common phrases

  • 窮屈な服kyū kutsu na fuku

    tight clothing

  • 窮屈な部屋kyū kutsu na heya

    a cramped room

  • 窮屈に感じるkyū kutsu ni kan ji ru

    feel cramped

Similar words

手狭tezema: Describes a place with too little space for the people or things in it.
不自由fujiyū: Describes a condition in which movement or action is limited by a lack of freedom.

Definition in Japanese

空間や場所に余裕がなく、身動きが取りにくく感じられるさま。kū kan ya ba sho ni yo yū ga na ku mi ugo ki ga to ri ni ku ku kan ji ra re ru sa ma

Word origin

窮 (kyū, "hard-pressed") and 屈 (kutsu, "bend") form a Sino-Japanese compound for a state that feels constrained or difficult to move within.

Usage tips

  • The phrase cramped quarters is common in English for a small living or working space, and quarters refers to the place where someone lives or stays.

Other meanings

  • tightna-adjective
  • confiningna-adjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 窮屈さkyūkutsusacrampednessnoun

Word lists with this word