Japanese word

閉口

Pronunciation

Romajiheikō

Meaning

  • nounbe at a loss

Example

難しい質問に閉口しました。muzuka shi i shitsu mon ni hei kō shi ma shi ta

I was at a loss over the difficult question.

Illustration for 閉口 (be at a loss)

More examples

連日の騒音には閉口です。ren jitsu no sō on ni wa hei kō de su

I am fed up with the daily noise.

Core concept

Expresses a state in which difficulty or exasperation leaves a person unable to answer or deal with the matter.

Common phrases

  • 質問攻めに閉口するshitsu mon se me ni hei kō su ru

    be fed up with a barrage of questions

  • しつこい勧誘に閉口するshi tsu ko i kan yū ni hei kō su ru

    be fed up with persistent solicitation

Similar words

困惑konwaku: A state in which a person cannot decide what to say or do because of a difficult matter.
当惑tōwaku: A state of uncertainty caused by an unexpected matter that is difficult to deal with.
辟易hekieki: A state of strong aversion caused by continued contact with something troublesome or unpleasant.

Definition in Japanese

難しい事柄に返答や対処ができずに困ること。また、相手や物事に手を焼いてうんざりすること。muzuka shi i koto gara ni hen tō ya tai sho ga de ki zu ni koma ru ko to ma ta ai te ya mono goto ni te o ya i te u n za ri su ru ko to

Word origin

閉口 (heikō) is formed from 閉 (hei, "close") and 口 (kō, "mouth"), referring to a mouth being closed when someone cannot answer and later to feeling troubled or fed up.

Usage tips

  • In modern Japanese, 閉口 (heikō) often appears in the set phrase 閉口する (heikō suru), especially when a person is worn down by a difficult question or situation.

Other meanings

  • be fed upnoun

Word lists with this word