お手上(てあ)げ

おてあげ
noun
giving up; throwing in the towel; at a loss
1. giving up; being at a loss; throwing in the towel
A state of having exhausted all options and being unable to do anything more about a situation. Often expressed with a gesture of raising both hands in surrender.
この問題(もんだい)には、もうお手上(てあ)げだ。
I give up on this problem.
彼(かれ)の頑固(がんこ)さにはお手上(てあ)げだよ。
I'm at a complete loss with his stubbornness.
修理(しゅうり)できなくてお手上(てあ)げ状態(じょうたい)だ。
I can't fix it - I'm completely stuck.

WORD FORMATION:
お (prefix) + 手(て) (hands) + 上(あ)げ (raising)
Literally: "raising hands" - like a gesture of surrender.

USAGE:
お手上(てあ)げ is used when someone has tried everything and has no more options. It's often followed by だ.

COMMON PATTERNS:

  • お手上(てあ)げだ - I give up / I'm at a loss
  • お手上(てあ)げ状態(じょうたい) - state of having given up
  • 〜にはお手上(てあ)げだ - I'm at a loss with ~

SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:

  • 万策尽(ばんさくつ)きる - to have exhausted all options
  • どうしようもない - there's nothing to be done
  • 手(て)の施(ほどこ)しようがない - there's nothing that can be done

REGISTER:
Casual. Common in everyday conversation.

core
Added 2026.1.19 16:23 · Revised 2026.1.19 21:17
07000/07399_oteage