1.
to stop, to halt
To stop walking or moving and remain standing in one place.
急に立ち止まった。
I suddenly stopped.
信号が赤になったので立ち止まった。
I stopped because the light turned red.
美しい景色に思わず立ち止まった。
I involuntarily stopped at the beautiful scenery.
道を歩いていたら、後ろから名前を呼ばれて立ち止まった。
While walking down the street, someone called my name from behind and I stopped.
子どもが急に飛び出してきたので、驚いて立ち止まった。
A child suddenly ran out, so I was startled and stopped in my tracks.
2.
to pause, to reflect
To stop and think or reconsider (figurative use).
少し立ち止まって考えた。
I paused for a moment and thought.
忙しいときこそ立ち止まることが大事だ。
It's when you're busy that pausing to reflect matters most.
失敗したときは、一度立ち止まって原因を考えよう。
When you fail, stop and think about the cause.
たまには立ち止まって人生を振り返ることも大切だ。
Sometimes it's important to pause and look back on life.
目標を見失ったとき、立ち止まって自分が本当にやりたいことを考え直した。
When I lost sight of my goals, I paused and reconsidered what I truly wanted to do.
立ち止まる is an intransitive verb (自動詞) meaning to stop or halt.
COMPOUND STRUCTURE:
- 立つ (to stand) + 止まる (to stop) → to stop while standing
ASPECT (ている):
立ち止まっている indicates a state of standing still.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 思わず立ち止まる (stop involuntarily)
- ふと立ち止まる (suddenly stop)
- 足を止める: similar meaning, more literary
FIGURATIVE USAGE:
Used metaphorically to describe pausing in life to think, reflect, or reconsider one's direction.
RELATED WORDS:
- 止まる: to stop (more general)
- 立ち止まる specifically implies stopping while on foot
[Register: Neutral]