燃え尽き

• 読み: もえつき
• ローマ字: moetsuki
• 漢字の分解: 燃え (burning, from 燃える = to burn) + 尽き (exhaustion, from 尽きる = to be used up) → burned out, completely spent
• 発音: /mo.e.tsu.ki/

意味

Burned out — emotionally and physically depleted after intense effort or prolonged stress.

燃え尽き is the Japanese counterpart to 'burnout,' literally meaning 'burned to nothing.' It is often used in the compound 燃え尽き症候群 (burnout syndrome), but the standalone 燃え尽きた (burned out, past tense) is extremely common in casual speech. It vividly describes the feeling of having given everything you had until nothing is left — like a candle that has burned down completely. It is frequently heard after exams, big projects, competitions, or any period of intense sustained effort.

例文

1. プロジェクト終わった途端に燃え尽きて、何もしたくない。
2. 受験が終わって完全に燃え尽きた。大学入ってからやる気ゼロ。
3. 燃え尽き症候群って聞くけど、まさに今の自分がそれだわ。

使い方ガイド

場面: friends, workplace, social media, daily conversation

トーン: exhausted, resigned

正しい言い方

• 大会終わって完全に燃え尽きたわ。 (The tournament is over and I'm completely burned out.)
• 燃え尽きる前にちゃんと休んで。 (Rest before you burn out completely.)

避ける言い方

• 燃え尽きている人に「もっと頑張れ」は逆効果 (Telling someone who is burned out to 'try harder' makes things worse — they need rest, not more pressure)

よくある間違い

• Confusing 燃え尽きた with just being tired — it implies having exhausted all motivation and energy after sustained intense effort, not ordinary fatigue

起源と歴史

From 燃える (to burn) + 尽きる (to be exhausted/used up). The compound 燃え尽き症候群 (burnout syndrome) was popularized in Japanese medical and workplace contexts from the 1980s onward.

文化的背景

時代: 1980s as medical term, casual usage from 2000s

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. The image of 'burning out' resonates strongly in Japan's effort-oriented culture where giving 100% is expected.