気を落とす

§ Understanding 気を落とす

Let's break down how to use the Japanese phrase 気を落とす (ki wo otosu). This phrase literally means 'to drop one's spirit/mind,' and it effectively conveys the meaning of being discouraged or losing heart. It's a common expression you'll hear and use in everyday Japanese conversations.

The key thing to remember is that 気を落とす is a verb. This means it can be conjugated like other verbs in Japanese. You'll use it to describe someone's emotional state, often when they are feeling down due to a setback or disappointment.

§ Basic Sentence Structure

When using 気を落とす, you'll typically see it in the following structures:

• Subject + は/が + 気を落とす

  This is the most straightforward way to use it. The subject of the sentence is the one who is discouraged.

  彼は試験に落ちて気を落とした。

  Hint

  He failed the exam and became discouraged.

  そんなに気を落とさないでください。

  Hint

  Please don't get so discouraged.

• Context implying subject + 気を落とす

  Sometimes the subject can be understood from the context and isn't explicitly stated.

  結果が悪くて、少し気を落としている。

  Hint

  The results were bad, so I'm a little discouraged.

§ Conjugation and Nuances

気を落とす is a regular Godan verb, meaning it conjugates like other verbs ending in -su. Here are some common conjugations you'll encounter:

Plain Form

気を落とす (present affirmative), 気を落とさない (present negative), 気を落とした (past affirmative), 気を落とさなかった (past negative)

Masu Form

気を落とします (present affirmative), 気を落としません (present negative), 気を落としました (past affirmative), 気を落としませんでした (past negative)

Te Form

気を落として (used for connecting clauses or making requests)

Hint

Even if you fail, please never lose heart.

You might also see it used with particles to indicate the cause of discouragement, though this is less direct than other causal expressions.

Hint

Hearing that news, she became discouraged.

§ Common Phrases and Usage

Here are some common ways 気を落とす is used in conversational Japanese:

• 気を落とさないで (ki wo otosanaide): 'Don't be discouraged' or 'Don't lose heart.' This is a common way to offer comfort.

  大丈夫、次があるから気を落とさないでね。

  Hint

  It's okay, there's always a next time, so don't be discouraged.

• 気を落としている (ki wo otoshite iru): 'Is discouraged' or 'is losing heart.' This uses the -te iru form to describe an ongoing state.

  彼は最近、少し気を落としている

  Hint

  He's been a bit discouraged lately.

• 気を落とさせる (ki wo otosaseru): 'To make someone lose heart' or 'to discourage someone.' This uses the causative form.

  そんなことを言って、彼を気を落とさせるのはやめよう。

  Hint

  Let's stop saying things that discourage him.

§ Where you actually hear this word

“気を落とす” (ki o otosu) is a versatile phrase you'll encounter in many situations. It's used when someone is feeling down, discouraged, or has lost their motivation. Let's look at some common scenarios where this phrase comes up, whether it's at work, school, or even in the news.

DEFINITION

To be discouraged, to lose heart, to be dejected.

§ At Work

In a professional setting, people use “気を落とす” when colleagues are facing setbacks or feeling demotivated by challenges. It's often heard when a project doesn't go as planned, or when someone receives negative feedback.

Hint: He seems a bit discouraged after a string of sales failures.

Hint: The members are all dejected because the big project was canceled.

§ At School

Students often face pressure from exams, club activities, and future career prospects. When they don't perform well, or feel overwhelmed, “気を落とす” is a fitting expression for their feelings.

Hint: He seems discouraged after failing the exam.

Hint: He's a bit dejected since losing at the club competition.

§ In the News and Everyday Life

You can also hear “気を落とす” when discussing public sentiment, reactions to unfortunate events, or personal struggles mentioned in news reports or casual conversations. It describes a general feeling of sadness or disappointment.

• When reporting on disaster victims: “被災者は気を落としているが、前を向いている。” Hint: The victims are dejected, but they are looking forward.
• When talking about someone's reaction to bad news: “その報告を聞いて、彼は気を落とした。” Hint: He lost heart after hearing that report.

Understanding where and how “気を落とす” is used will help you grasp the nuances of Japanese conversation and media. It's a common phrase for expressing or acknowledging a state of discouragement, and knowing it will make your Japanese sound much more natural.

§ Don't confuse it with '気分が悪い'

Many learners mix up 気を落とす with '気分が悪い' (kibun ga warui). While both express a negative feeling, they're not the same. '気分が悪い' means feeling physically ill, nauseous, or generally unwell. It's about your physical state, not your mental or emotional state of being discouraged.

DEFINITION

気分が悪い (kibun ga warui): To feel ill, to feel sick, to feel unwell.

§ Using the correct particle with the source of discouragement

When you want to say *what* caused someone to be discouraged, you often use the particle 'に' (ni) or 'で' (de) with the cause. A common mistake is to omit the particle or use the wrong one. For instance, if a test result made you feel discouraged, you'd use 'テストの結果に気を落とす' (tesuto no kekka ni ki wo otosu).

While 'で' can sometimes be used to indicate a cause or reason, 'に' is very common when the cause directly leads to an emotional state like discouragement. Think of it as 'discouraged *by* something'.

§ Overuse or inappropriate contexts

気を落とす implies a significant level of dejection or discouragement. It's not for minor disappointments. Using it for small frustrations might sound dramatic or unnatural. For slight disappointment, you might use 'がっかりする' (gakkari suru) instead.

DEFINITION

がっかりする (gakkari suru): To be disappointed, to feel let down.

While 'がっかりする' describes disappointment, 気を落とす delves deeper into a feeling of losing one's spirit or morale. It's a stronger term. Think of it as losing your drive or positive outlook.

§ Transitivity: Intransitive use for one's own feelings, transitive for others

気を落とす is inherently intransitive when you are describing *your own* feeling of being discouraged. However, you can use it transitively to mean 'to make someone discouraged' or 'to cause someone to lose heart' by adding an object and restructuring the sentence, though this is less common than describing one's own state.

• Intransitive (for yourself/someone else being discouraged):

  失敗しても気を落とさないでください。(Shippai shitemo ki wo otosanaide kudasai.)
  Even if you fail, please don't lose heart.

• Transitive (making someone else discouraged - generally avoided in direct statements): While grammatically possible to say something like '彼を気を落とさせた' (kare wo ki wo otosaseta - I made him discouraged), it's often more natural to express this indirectly or use causative forms of other verbs. It's rare to directly 'drop someone's spirit' in this way. Focus on using 気を落とす to describe someone *being* discouraged.