Entry
やきもき
yakimoki
Fretting or getting worked up out of impatience or anxiety over an unresolved situation.
Meaning
Quick Meaning
Expresses a state of restless anxiety or impatience, typically when you are worried about an ongoing issue or waiting for something outside of your control.
- Worrying about others or uncertain outcomes
- Impatience with slow progress
Sense Map
Fretting / Worrying
Feeling anxious and unsettled about someone else's situation or an uncertain outcome.
親がやきもきする。
Impatience
Getting worked up or frustrated because things are not progressing as quickly as expected.
進行が遅くてやきもきする。
Usage Note
How to Use
やきもきする
The standard verb form meaning to fret or be anxious.
やきもきしている
The continuous state form, indicating an ongoing state of fretting or impatience.
やきもきさせる
The causative form, meaning to make someone else worry.
やきもきして
The te-form, used to connect to another action (e.g., waiting while fretting).
How to Use
Common Phrases
やきもきする
to fret / to be anxious
やきもきさせる
to make someone worry
やきもきして待つ
to wait anxiously
一人でやきもきする
to fret all by oneself
Nuance
Context Nuance
| Common Contexts | Nuance | Usage Note |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting for an outcome | negative | Expresses anxiety and impatience when an outcome is delayed or out of your control. |
| Watching someone else struggle | negative | Expresses frustration when observing someone else's poor choices or slow actions and being unable to fix it for them. |
Similar Words
Comparison Table
| Similar Words | When to Use | Not the Same as | Mini Example |
|---|---|---|---|
くよくよ くよくよ / contrast | When someone is brooding over past failures or things they cannot change. | Yakimoki is for present or future uncertainties, not past regrets. | 失敗をくよくよ悩む。 |
じりじり じりじり / nearby | When someone feels impatient because things are progressing too slowly. | Jirijiri emphasizes the feeling of time dragging on, while yakimoki emphasizes emotional worry and agitation. | 待ちきれずにじりじりする。 |
Usage Note
Common Mistakes
Using yakimoki to describe fear of something dangerous.
Yakimoki is about anxiety, worry, and impatience regarding unresolved matters, not sheer terror or fear of physical harm.
Using yakimoki for past regrets.
Use kuyokuyo for past regrets. Yakimoki is strictly reserved for ongoing or future uncertainties.
Examples
Examples
連絡が来なくて、やきもきする。
れんらくがこなくて、やきもきする。
I am fretting because there is no contact.
LiteralDescribes basic anxiety from having to wait.
子供の帰りが遅く、親をやきもきさせる。
こどものかえりがおそく、おやをやきもきさせる。
The child's late return makes the parents worry.
LiteralCausative form (saseru) showing the action of making someone else worry.
試合の行方に、ファンはずっとやきもきしている。
しあいのゆくえに、ファンはずっとやきもきしている。
Fans have been getting worked up over the outcome of the match.
LiteralShows an ongoing state of fretting.
彼は一人でやきもきして、部屋を歩き回った。
かれはひとりでやきもきして、へやをあるきまわった。
He fretted all by himself and paced around the room.
VisualVisually captures the physical pacing caused by restless anxiety.
物事が予定通りに進まず、やきもきした気持ちになる。
ものごとがよていどおりにすすまず、やきもきしたきもちになる。
I feel anxious because things are not progressing as planned.
LiteralUsed essentially as an adjective to describe the feeling (kimochi).
Similar Words
くよくよ
kuyokuyo
To worry or brood incessantly over past mistakes or trivial matters. Used for brooding over past failures, whereas yakimoki is for present or future uncertainty.
じりじり
jirijiri
Describes something progressing slowly but steadily, scorching heat, burning impatience, or a continuous sizzling/ringing sound. Focuses on the impatience felt due to slow progress.
Questions
What is the difference between yakimoki and iraira?
Iraira refers to direct irritation or anger, while yakimoki is a mix of worry, anxiety, and impatience, often without direct anger.
Can yakimoki be used as a noun?
It is primarily used as an adverb or a verb by adding 'suru' (やきもきする).
Is yakimoki used in formal situations?
It is generally a colloquial expression and is more suited for casual conversations or expressive writing rather than highly formal business contexts.
Source Details
- Entry ID
- 1012750
- Source
- JMdict_english
- Revision
- -
- Review notes
- No special notes
- Active language
- English
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