Tsumaranai (Boring)

Today, I'd like to talk about the Japanese phrase "tsumaranai," which means "boring."

"Tsumaranai" is composed of the verb "tsumaru" and the negative auxiliary verb "-nai."

"Tsumaru" has several meanings, such as "choke," "jam," "get stuck," and "be settled."

However, "tsumaranai" has the meanings of "boring" and "silly," which were derived from "be not settled."

Note that if you say "tsumaru," it will never mean something like "interesting," which is an antonym of "boring."

There is the similar phrase "kudaranai," which means "boring," but the meaning will never become "interesting," even if you remove the negative auxiliary verb "-nai" and say "kudaaru."

つまらない

今日は、日本語の「つまらない」という言葉を紹介します。

「つまらない」は動詞「詰まる」と、否定の助動詞「ない」で構成されています。

「詰まる」は、"choke," "jam," "get stuck," そして "be settled" など、さまざまな意味を持っています。

しかし、「つまらない」は "be not settled" から転じて、"boring" や "silly" という意味を持ちます。

「詰まる」と言っても、"boring" の反意語である "interesting" という意味には決してならないことに注意して下さい。

同様に、"boring" を意味する言葉として「くだらない」がありますが、"下る" と言っても "interesting" の意味にはなりません。