A1 Idiom Neutral

気を揉む

ki wo momu

To worry

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use {気|き}を{揉|も}む when you are feeling anxious or restless about a situation that is out of your control.

  • Means: To feel anxious, fret, or be impatient about an uncertain outcome.
  • Used in: Waiting for exam results, worrying about a friend, or anticipating bad news.
  • Don't confuse: It is not used for physical pain; it is strictly for mental anxiety.
Restless hands + Worried face = {気|き}を{揉|も}む

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means to feel worried or nervous. You use it when you are waiting for something and you cannot stay calm.
When you are anxious about an uncertain future or waiting for news, you can say you are {気|き}を{揉|も}んでいる. It describes the feeling of restlessness that comes with waiting.
The idiom {気|き}を{揉|も}む is used to express a state of fretful anxiety. It is particularly common when the outcome of a situation is beyond your control, leading to a sense of impatience or unease. It is a very natural way to describe the psychological tension of waiting.
Functioning as a metaphorical expression for internal distress, {気|き}を{揉|も}む encapsulates the experience of being mentally preoccupied with a potential negative outcome. It is frequently employed in both professional and personal contexts to signal that one is actively concerned about a situation's development.
Etymologically rooted in the physical sensation of 'kneading' one's spirit, {気|き}を{揉|も}む serves as a sophisticated idiom for acute anxiety. It denotes a state of restless anticipation where the subject is unable to achieve emotional equilibrium due to external uncertainties. Its usage is nuanced, often implying a degree of empathy or shared concern in social settings.
The idiomatic construction {気|き}を{揉|も}む represents a profound intersection of somatic experience and emotional cognition in the Japanese language. By conceptualizing anxiety as a tactile process—the 'kneading' of the 'ki'—it provides a culturally specific framework for articulating the cognitive dissonance of waiting. It is a hallmark of near-native proficiency to deploy this idiom to convey not just worry, but the specific, restless agitation associated with temporal uncertainty.

Bedeutung

To be anxious or concerned about something; to fret.

🌍

Kultureller Hintergrund

The concept of 'ki' is central to Japanese psychology. It is believed that your emotional state directly impacts your physical health.

💡

Focus on the feeling

When you use this, try to imagine the feeling of tension in your chest. It helps with the emotional delivery.

Bedeutung

To be anxious or concerned about something; to fret.

💡

Focus on the feeling

When you use this, try to imagine the feeling of tension in your chest. It helps with the emotional delivery.

Teste dich selbst

Fill in the blank with the correct form of the idiom.

テストの{結果|けっか}を{待|ま}つ{間|あいだ}、ずっと＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿。

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: {気|き}を{揉|も}んだ

The context is past tense (waiting for the results).

🎉 Ergebnis: /1

Visuelle Lernhilfen

Häufig gestellte Fragen

1 Fragen

Yes, it's very common to use with friends.

Verwandte Redewendungen

🔗

{気|き}を{病|や}む

similar

To become sick from worry

Wo du es verwendest

📝

Waiting for exam results

A: {合格|ごうかく}したかな？

B: {結果|けっか}を{待|ま}つ{間|あいだ}、{気|き}を{揉|も}むよね。

neutral

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Imagine a person kneading dough, but the dough is their own brain! They are so worried they are 'kneading' their thoughts.

Visual Association

A person pacing back and forth in a waiting room, hands wringing together.

Story

Ken is waiting for his medical results. He paces the floor. His hands are wringing together. He is {気|き}を{揉|も}んでいる. He can't sit still.

Word Web

{心配|しんぱい}{不安|ふあん}{焦|あせ}る{気|き}{揉|も}む{緊張|きんちょう}

Herausforderung

Spend 5 minutes writing 3 sentences about things that make you {気|き}を{揉|も}む.

In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

Comerse las uñas

Japanese is about the internal feeling; Spanish is about the external action.

French high

Se ronger les sangs

French is more visceral (blood), Japanese is more abstract (spirit).

German moderate

Sich den Kopf zerbrechen

German implies overthinking; Japanese implies anxious waiting.

Japanese N/A

{気|き}を{揉|も}む

N/A

Arabic high

يأكل نفسه من القلق

Arabic is more aggressive/intense.

Chinese moderate

心急如焚

Chinese is about heat; Japanese is about pressure.

Korean high

애를 태우다

Korean is about burning; Japanese is about kneading.

Portuguese moderate

Roer as unhas

Portuguese is about the habit; Japanese is about the state of mind.

Easily Confused

気を揉む vs. {気|き}を{使|つか}う

Both use the word 'ki'.

{気|き}を{使|つか}う means to be considerate, while {気|き}を{揉|も}む means to be anxious.

FAQ (1)

Yes, it's very common to use with friends.

War das hilfreich?

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