ぬかるみ

ぬかるみ
noun
mud; muddy ground; quagmire
1. mud; muddy ground; mire
Soft, wet ground that is difficult to walk through. Can also be used figuratively for a difficult situation that is hard to escape.
ぬかるみに(あし)()られた。
My feet got stuck in the mud.
(あめ)(あと)(みち)がぬかるみになっていた。
The road had turned to mud after the rain.
ぬかるみの(なか)長靴(ながぐつ)(ある)いたが、何度(なんど)(すべ)りそうになった。
I walked through the mud in rubber boots, but nearly slipped several times.

USAGE:
ぬかるみ is the noun form related to the verb ぬかるむ (to become muddy). It can be used both literally for muddy ground and figuratively for a mess or quagmire one cannot easily escape from.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • ぬかるみに(あし)()られる: to get one's feet stuck in the mud
  • ぬかるみにはまる: to get bogged down in mud
  • ぬかるみの(みち): a muddy road

SIMILAR WORDS:
(どろ) is the material (mud), while ぬかるみ is a muddy patch of ground. 泥濘(でいねい) is a formal/literary synonym.