気遣う

• 読み: きづかう
• ローマ字: kidzukau
• 漢字の分解: 気 (ki) — spirit, feeling, mind; 遣 (ken) — send, use, direct
• 発音: /ki.dzɯ.ka.ɯ/

意味

To worry about someone; to be solicitous of another's wellbeing; to take care to attend to another's feelings or needs out of consideration.

A Group 1 (godan) verb expressing attentive care directed outward toward others. Unlike 心配する (to worry), which can be self-focused, 気遣う always implies directing one's attention to another person's state. The noun form 気遣い (concern, solicitude) is equally common. Important in Japanese workplace and social contexts where maintaining harmonious relationships is valued. Excessive 気遣い can sometimes become a burden on the person exercising it, a nuance explored in contemporary discourse on mental health.

例文

1. 退院したばかりの友人を気遣い、毎日電話で体調を確認した。
2. 部長は常に部下の体調を気遣い、無理な残業を押しつけることはなかった。
3. 周囲を気遣うあまり自分の意見が言えなくなるのは、長所が短所に転じた状態だ。

使い方ガイド

場面: workplace, relationships, social interaction, caregiving

トーン: considerate

起源と歴史

Compound of 気 (ki — feeling, spirit, mind) and 遣う (to use, to direct, to send). The image is of directing one's mind and attention outward toward another person's wellbeing.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: All classes