切羽詰まる
せっぱつまる
verb-godan
to be cornered; to be in a tight spot
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 切羽詰まる | 切羽詰まらない |
| Present polite | 切羽詰まります | 切羽詰まりません |
| Past | 切羽詰まった | 切羽詰まらなかった |
| Past polite | 切羽詰まりました | 切羽詰まりませんでした |
| て form | 切羽詰まって | 切羽詰まらなくて |
| ている present | 切羽詰まっている | 切羽詰まっていない |
| ている polite | 切羽詰まっています | 切羽詰まっていません |
| ている past | 切羽詰まっていた | 切羽詰まっていなかった |
| ている past polite | 切羽詰まっていました | 切羽詰まっていませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 切羽詰まれば | 切羽詰まらなければ |
| Conditional たら | 切羽詰まったら | 切羽詰まらなかったら |
| Volitional | 切羽詰まろう | — |
| Volitional polite | 切羽詰まりましょう | — |
| Potential | 切羽詰まれる | 切羽詰まれない |
| Passive | 切羽詰まられる | 切羽詰まられない |
| Causative | 切羽詰まらせる | 切羽詰まらせない |
| Imperative | 切羽詰まれ | 切羽詰まるな |
1.
to be driven into a corner; to be in a desperate situation; to run out of options
To reach a point where there is no more time or no way out, and one must act urgently. Describes deadlines, financial trouble, personal crises, and similar situations where all easier options have been exhausted.
切羽詰まっている。
I'm in a real bind.
締め切りが近づいて切羽詰まってきた。
With the deadline approaching, I'm getting desperate.
切羽詰まると人間は思わぬ行動に出るものだ。
When people are cornered, they often take unexpected actions.
生活が切羽詰まって、彼はついに親に頭を下げて金を借りることになった。
Pressed to the wall financially, he finally swallowed his pride and borrowed money from his parents.
Originally a term from swordsmanship: 切羽 is the metal washer between the blade and the guard (鍔) of a Japanese sword. When it 'gets jammed' (詰まる), the sword cannot be drawn, leaving the wielder helpless — hence the figurative meaning of being cornered.
USAGE:
- Almost always used in the progressive 切羽詰まっている or the past 切羽詰まった, describing a current state rather than a one-time event.
- The modifier form 切羽詰まった is common: 切羽詰まった状況 (a desperate situation), 切羽詰まった声 (a desperate voice).
- Subjects include people, as well as abstract subjects like 生活 (life), 経営 (business management), or 状況 (situation).
ASPECT:
The て}いる form has the stative meaning 'be in a cornered state,' not the progressive meaning 'be becoming cornered.' To express the latter, use {切羽詰まってくる or 切羽詰まりつつある.
TRANSITIVITY:
- Intransitive. The subject is the person or situation that is being cornered. The pressure or cause is normally expressed with a cause clause or ~で: 借金で切羽詰まる (to be cornered by debt).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 切羽詰まった状況: a desperate situation
- 切羽詰まった声で: in a desperate voice
- 切羽詰まって助けを求める: to be cornered and ask for help
- 生活が切羽詰まる: one's livelihood is in dire straits
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 追い詰められる: to be driven into a corner — more literal, often by an opponent or circumstance
- 窮する: to be in distress — formal and literary
- 困り果てる: to be at wit's end — emphasizes emotional exhaustion
- 進退窮まる: to have no way to advance or retreat — very formal, often written