たどたどしい
たどたどしい
i-adjective
halting; faltering; uncertain
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | たどたどしい | たどたどしくない |
| Past | たどたどしかった | たどたどしくなかった |
| て form | たどたどしくて | たどたどしくなくて |
| Adverbial | たどたどしく | — |
| Conditional ば | たどたどしければ | たどたどしくなければ |
| Conditional たら | たどたどしかったら | たどたどしくなかったら |
1.
halting; faltering; uncertain; stumbling
Moving, speaking, or acting in an uncertain, unsteady way, often due to inexperience or difficulty.
たどたどしい is an i-adjective describing something unsteady, halting, or faltering. Most commonly used for speech (especially foreign language attempts) and physical movements.
Forms
- Adverbial: たどたどしく (e.g., たどたどしく話す)
- Past: たどたどしかった
- Noun form: たどたどしさ
Onomatopoeia
The repetitive たどたど mimics the unsteady, stumbling quality of the action it describes.
Common collocations
- たどたどしい日本語: halting Japanese
- たどたどしい英語: broken English
- たどたどしい足取り: faltering steps
- たどたどしく話す: to speak haltingly
- たどたどしい手つき: clumsy hand movements
Usage
Not necessarily negative — it can evoke sympathy or charm when describing someone's earnest but imperfect effort, especially with language learning.