泥沼(どろぬま)

どろぬま
noun
quagmire, morass, bog
geography
1. muddy swamp, bog
A literal swamp or marsh filled with deep mud.
泥沼(どろぬま)にはまった。
I got stuck in the mud.
雨(あめ)で道(みち)が泥沼(どろぬま)のようになった。
The rain turned the road into a muddy swamp.
大雨(おおあめ)の後(あと)、田(た)んぼが泥沼(どろぬま)と化(か)して歩(ある)けなかった。
After the heavy rain, the rice paddies turned into a bog and were impassable.
2. quagmire, morass, hopeless situation
A situation that is difficult to escape from and keeps getting worse, like being stuck in mud.
交渉(こうしょう)は泥沼(どろぬま)に入(はい)った。
The negotiations have become a quagmire.
離婚(りこん)裁判(さいばん)が泥沼化(どろぬまか)している。
The divorce trial has turned into a drawn-out mess.
借金(しゃっきん)の泥沼(どろぬま)から抜(ぬ)け出(だ)せなくなった。
I couldn't escape the quagmire of debt.

Usage

Sense 2 is more common in everyday usage. The figurative meaning emphasizes a situation that worsens the more you struggle, mirroring the experience of sinking deeper into actual mud. Often used with 化(か)する (泥沼化(どろぬまか)) to describe something becoming a quagmire.

Common collocations

Related Words

Compare: 沼地(ぬまち) (swamp)
general
Added 2026.2.13 14:17 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
11000/11065_doronuma