噛み締める

• 読み: かみしめる
• ローマ字: kamishimeru
• 漢字の分解: 噛 (ka) — bite, chew; 締 (tei) — tighten, hold firmly
• 発音: /ka.mi.ɕi.me.ɾɯ/

意味

To bite down hard; to chew thoroughly; figuratively, to savour deeply or reflect carefully on an experience, memory, or emotion.

A Group 2 (ichidan) verb with a rich figurative dimension. While the literal sense is to clench the teeth or chew firmly, the metaphorical sense — deeply absorbing or ruminating on something meaningful — is more common in literary and formal contexts. Common collocations include 言葉を噛み締める (to take words to heart) and 喜びを噛み締める (to savour joy). Conveys a sense of deliberate, intense inward reflection.

例文

1. 師匠の最後の言葉を噛み締めながら、弟子は長い旅へと出発した。
2. 優勝の喜びを噛み締めるように、彼女はしばらく目を閉じたまま立っていた。
3. 悔しさを噛み締め、来年こそ必ずリベンジすると心に誓った。

使い方ガイド

場面: literature, introspection, formal speech, emotional expression

トーン: serious

起源と歴史

Compound of 噛む (to bite, to chew) and 締める (to tighten, to hold firmly). The image is of clenching something tightly in one's jaw so as to hold and feel it fully.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: All classes