似つかわしい

• 読み: につかわしい
• ローマ字: nitsukawashii
• 漢字の分解: 似 (ni) — to resemble, to suit
• 発音: /ni.tsɯ.ka.wa.ɕiː/

意味

Befitting; becoming; appropriate; well-suited. Describes something that fits naturally and suitably with a particular person, occasion, or setting.

An i-adjective derived from 似つかう (to be suited/fitting, archaic) + しい. Often appears in 〜に似つかわしい (befitting someone/something) to describe how well something matches its context. The negative form 似つかわしくない (unbefitting, out of place) is equally common. A somewhat literary expression but still used in careful everyday speech.

例文

1. 彼女の落ち着いた話し方は、大使という地位に似つかわしかった。
2. 老舗旅館に似つかわしい、丁寧なもてなしを受けた。
3. その派手な衣装は厳かな式典には似つかわしくないと感じた。

使い方ガイド

場面: formal speech, literature, everyday criticism

トーン: evaluative

起源と歴史

From 似つかう (nitsukau, to suit or fit), an archaic verb meaning 'to resemble appropriately,' combined with the adjectival suffix しい. The idea of something naturally matching its context underlies the meaning.

文化的背景

時代: Classical–Modern

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Universal