力む

• 読み: りきむ
• ローマ字: rikimu
• 漢字の分解: 力 (ryoku/chikara) — power, strength, force
• 発音: /ɾi.ki.mɯ/

意味

To strain; to exert oneself forcefully; to put on airs. Covers both physical over-exertion and the social behaviour of acting more impressive or important than one is.

A Group 1 (godan) verb. The physical sense describes tensing muscles or straining the body, as in weightlifting or childbirth. The social sense — appearing affected, pompous, or trying too hard — is equally common. In both cases, 力む implies an excess of effort that often backfires or appears unnatural.

例文

1. 力みすぎると逆にパフォーマンスが落ちることを経験から学んだ。
2. 彼はいつも無駄に力んで話すので、聞いているこちらが疲れる。
3. 肩の力を抜いて、力まずに自然体で臨んだほうが結果は出やすい。

使い方ガイド

場面: sports, performance, social behaviour, coaching, self-improvement

トーン: cautionary

起源と歴史

Derived from 力 (chikara/ryoku — power, strength), with the verb-forming suffix む. The む ending implies entering into a state or pressing into an action, so 力む literally means to put oneself into a state of force. The social nuance emerged in the Edo period.

文化的背景

時代: Edo

世代: All ages

社会的背景: General