Japanese word

迷い

Pronunciation

Romajimayoi

Meaning

  • noundoubt

Example

自分の選択に迷いがあります。ji bun no sen taku ni mayo i ga a ri ma su

I have doubts about my choice.

Illustration for 迷い (doubt)

More examples

店員に相談すると、買うかどうかの迷いがなくなりました。ten in ni sō dan su ru to ka u ka dō ka no mayo i ga na ku na ri ma shi ta

After I consulted the store clerk, my doubts about whether to buy it disappeared.

Core concept

Captures the unsettled feeling that keeps a person from committing to a decision.

Common phrases

  • 迷いを振り切るmayo i o fu ri ki ru

    shake off one's doubts

  • 迷いなく進むmayo i na ku susu mu

    move forward without hesitation

  • 迷いが深まるmayo i ga fuka ma ru

    one's doubts deepen

Similar words

ためらいtamerai: A reluctance that holds a person back from making a choice or taking action.
躊躇chūcho: An act of holding back before making a decision or taking action.
疑いutagai: A feeling that something may be wrong, untrue, or unreliable.
逡巡shunjun: A prolonged process of wavering while weighing whether to decide or act.

Definition in Japanese

自分の判断や選択に確信が持てず、決めかねる気持ち。ji bun no han dan ya sen taku ni kaku shin ga mo te zu ki me ka ne ru ki mo chi

Word origin

迷い (mayoi) is the noun form of 迷う (mayō), a native Japanese verb meaning "to be unable to decide" or "to lose one's way".

Usage tips

  • In conversational Japanese, 迷い (mayoi) often presents uncertainty as a lingering state, and 迷いがない (mayoi ga nai) describes a settled decision rather than mere lack of information.

Other meanings

  • hesitationnoun
  • indecisionnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word