きりきり

きりきり
adverb
sharp pain; tightly wound
body-partemotion
1. with sharp, piercing pain
Describes a stabbing or grinding pain, especially in the stomach.
ストレスで胃(い)がきりきり痛(いた)む。
My stomach hurts with a sharp pain from stress.
きりきりと頭(あたま)が痛(いた)い。
I have a piercing headache.
緊張(きんちょう)すると胃(い)がきりきりして食欲(しょくよく)がなくなる。
When I get nervous, my stomach hurts with sharp pains and I lose my appetite.
2. tightly; to the limit
Describes something wound, tied, or stretched very tight.
ネジをきりきりと締(し)める。
Tighten the screw as tight as possible.
スケジュールがきりきりで余裕(よゆう)がない。
The schedule is so tight there's no room to spare.
年末(ねんまつ)はきりきり舞(ま)いの忙(いそが)しさだった。
At year-end, I was so busy I was run off my feet.

Type: Mimetic word (giongo/gitaigo) representing sound or sensation.

Sense 1 - pain

Sense 2 - tightness

  • Suggests extreme tightness or tension
  • Can refer to physical tightness (rope, screw) or metaphorical (schedule, budget)
  • きりきり舞(ま)い: being extremely busy, spinning around

Common collocations

Similar pain expressions

Related Words

Compare: ずきずき (throbbing pain)
Compare: ちくちく (pricking pain)
Compare: しくしく (dull aching pain)
general
Added 2026.1.19 8:54 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
07000/07125_kirikiri