うろたえる

うろたえる
verb (ichidan)
to be flustered; to panic; to lose one's composure
自動詞 intransitiveemotion
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Presentうろたえるうろたえない
Present politeうろたえますうろたえません
Pastうろたえたうろたえなかった
Past politeうろたえましたうろたえませんでした
て formうろたえてうろたえなくて
ている presentうろたえているうろたえていない
ている politeうろたえていますうろたえていません
ている pastうろたえていたうろたえていなかった
ている past politeうろたえていましたうろたえていませんでした
Conditional ばうろたえればうろたえなければ
Conditional たらうろたえたらうろたえなかったら
Volitionalうろたえよう
Volitional politeうろたえましょう
Potentialうろたえられるうろたえられない
Passiveうろたえられるうろたえられない
Causativeうろたえさせるうろたえさせない
Imperativeうろたえろうろたえるな
1. to be flustered; to panic; to lose one's composure
Describes a state of confusion and agitation when confronted with an unexpected situation. The person loses their ability to think or act calmly.
うろたえていけない。
You must not panic.
突然(とつぜん)質問(しつもん)うろたえてしまった。
I was flustered by the sudden question.
When the earthquake struck, everyone panicked and rushed outside.

Describes losing composure in the face of something unexpected. Stronger than simply being surprised — it implies an inability to think clearly or act rationally. Often written in hiragana rather than kanji.

Usage

Most commonly appears in the past tense (うろたえた) or te-form (うろたえて), describing a reaction to a sudden event. Also used in the negative imperative (うろたえるな) to tell someone to stay calm.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • (あわ)てる: to be in a hurry, to panic — more common in everyday speech and broader in meaning (includes simply rushing)
  • たじろぐ: to flinch, to falter — focuses on hesitation or drawing back rather than confusion
  • 動揺(どうよう)する: to be shaken, disturbed — can be used for emotional disturbance that is more internal and less visible