The Meaning of taikutsu [退屈] In Japanese

退屈
たいくつ
Romaji: taikutsu N5

What does 退屈 mean?

Translation and Meaning

boredom, tedium; to be bored

Definition

What does taikutsu mean? It denotes the feeling of boredom and dullness in a situation or activity. For an English speaker, taikutsu describes both a state of mind and the quality of activities that fail to engage.

Type

Noun/na-adjective (na-adjective)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • State of being bored or uninterested in a current activity
  • Describing a person, a situation, or a thing as dull or repetitive
  • Used with する to express becoming bored
  • Descriptive use with だ/です to label a scene as boring

Composition

  • 退: retreat, backward movement
  • 屈: bend, yield
  • Together, the characters convey a sense of being pushed back or unable to move forward, which in turn evokes a feeling of dullness or disengagement

Usage

Used as a noun or na-adjective to describe boredom; common in casual talk and formal writing when referring to dull lectures, repetitive chores, or unengaging media. Typical constructions include 退屈だ, 退屈な話, 退屈する, and 退屈を感じる.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine stepping back (退) and bending (屈) to sit through a boring lecture; the image links the kanji to the feeling of taikutsu.

Variations

  • つまらない (tsumaranai) — boring
  • 面白い (omoshiroi) — interesting
  • 退屈な話 (taikutsu na hanashi) — a dull talk

Example Phrases

  • 今日は授業が退屈で、私はすぐ眠くなった。
    Kyō wa jugyō ga taikutsu de, watashi wa sugu nemuku natta.
    Today’s class was boring, and I quickly became sleepy.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (Kyō wa) – today
    • 授業 (jugyō) – class
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • 退屈で (taikutsu de) – boring, and
    • 私は (watashi wa) – I
    • すぐ (sugu) – soon
    • 眠くなった (nemuku natta) – became sleepy
    In this sentence, 「退屈」 is a noun used with で to connect the first clause to the next; it means ‘boring’.
退屈