身動(みうご)き

みうごき
noun
moving one's body; stirring
action
1. bodily movement; stirring; moving around
Physical movement of one's body. Most commonly used in the negative form to describe being unable to move due to being trapped, crowded, or otherwise constrained.
身動(みうご)きが取(と)れない。
I can't move.
満員(まんいん)電車(でんしゃ)で身動(みうご)きが取(と)れなかった。
I couldn't move on the packed train.
借金(しゃっきん)が増(ふ)えすぎて、経済的(けいざいてき)に身動(みうご)きが取(と)れない状態(じょうたい)になってしまった。
The debt piled up so much that I ended up in a situation where I couldn't move financially.

Usage: 身動(みうご)き is almost always used in the negative pattern 身動(みうご)きが取(と)れない (unable to move). It can describe physical inability to move (in a crowd, when restrained) or figurative inability to act (due to financial problems, obligations, etc.).

Common collocations

The word is a compound of 身(み) (body) and 動(うご)き (movement).

general
Added 2026.3.8 22:56 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
15500/15898_miugoki