もたもた
もたもた
adverb, verb (suru)
slowly; sluggishly; dilly-dallying
1.
slowly; sluggishly; taking too long
Moving or acting slowly and inefficiently, often causing frustration. Implies wasting time or being indecisive.
もたもたしてると遅刻するよ。
If you keep dilly-dallying, you'll be late.
もたもたしないで早く準備して。
Stop dawdling and get ready quickly.
彼のもたもたした動きにイライラした。
I got irritated by his sluggish movements.
MIMETIC TYPE:
Onomatopoeia expressing slow, inefficient movement or action.
GRAMMATICAL FORMS:
- もたもたする - to dawdle, be slow (suru-verb)
- もたもた（と）動く - to move sluggishly
- もたもたした - sluggish (adjectival)
NUANCE:
Usually carries a negative connotation, implying the person is being annoyingly slow or wasting time. Often used when urging someone to hurry.
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- ぐずぐずする - to dawdle, procrastinate
- のろのろ - slowly (more neutral)
- てきぱき - briskly, efficiently (opposite)