手がつけられない

• 読み: てがつけられない
• ローマ字: tega-tsukerarenai
• 漢字の分解: 手 (te/shu) — hand
• 発音: /te.ɡa.tsɯ.ke.ɾa.ɾe.na.i/

意味

Out of control; unmanageable; beyond help. Describes a situation where nothing can be done.

An idiomatic expression literally meaning 'cannot put a hand to it,' used to describe situations or people that are completely out of control. Commonly describes unruly children (手がつけられないほど暴れる), chaotic situations, or problems too severe to address. Functions as an i-adjective clause. Often used with ほど to indicate the degree of uncontrollability.

例文

1. 息子が泣き出すと手がつけられないほど暴れる。
2. 火事が広がって手がつけられない状態になった。
3. 彼は怒ると手がつけられなくなる。

使い方ガイド

場面: parenting, emergencies, complaints

トーン: exasperated

起源と歴史

A native Japanese idiomatic expression combining 手 (te, hand) + が (subject marker) + つけられない (cannot attach/apply). The metaphor conveys that one literally cannot lay a hand on the problem — it has grown beyond the reach of any intervention.

文化的背景

時代: Edo period

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal