堅苦(かたくる)しい

かたくるしい
i-adjective
stiff; formal; stuffy
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present堅苦(かたくる)しい堅苦(かたくる)しくない
Past堅苦(かたくる)しかった堅苦(かたくる)しくなかった
て form堅苦(かたくる)しくて堅苦(かたくる)しくなくて
Adverbial堅苦(かたくる)しく—
Conditional ば堅苦(かたくる)しければ堅苦(かたくる)しくなければ
Conditional たら堅苦(かたくる)しかったら堅苦(かたくる)しくなかったら
1. stiff; formal; stuffy
excessively formal or rigid in manner, creating an uncomfortable or uptight atmosphere
堅苦(かたくる)しい挨拶(あいさつ)はやめよう。
Let's skip the stiff formalities.
そんな堅苦(かたくる)しいことを言(い)わないで。
Don't be so uptight about it.
堅苦(かたくる)しい雰囲気(ふんいき)の会議(かいぎ)だった。
It was a stuffy, formal meeting.
堅苦(かたくる)しくない、気楽(きらく)な食事会(しょくじかい)にしましょう。
Let's make it a relaxed, informal dinner party.

An i-adjective describing excessive formality that makes people feel stiff and uncomfortable. It criticizes formality as being more than what the situation calls for.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 堅苦(かたくる)しい挨拶(あいさつ): stiff, formal greetings
  • 堅苦(かたくる)しい話(はなし): stiff talk / formal speech
  • 堅苦(かたくる)しい雰囲気(ふんいき): a stuffy atmosphere
  • 堅苦(かたくる)しくない: informal, relaxed

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 硬(かた)い: stiff or rigid; can describe personality but also has physical and neutral uses
  • 真面目(まじめ)すぎる: too serious; focuses on personality rather than atmosphere
  • 格式張(かくしきば)る: to stand on ceremony; describes deliberately maintaining formal protocol
  • フォーマルな: formal; neutral loanword without the negative connotation

USAGE:
Often used when someone wants to lighten the mood or encourage others to relax, as in 堅苦(かたくる)しいことは抜(ぬ)きにして (setting aside the formalities).

general
Added 2026.4.24 21:14
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