ジッと

• Reading: じっと
• Romaji: jitto
• Pronunciation: /dʑit.to/

Meaning

Staring fixedly without moving, or staying perfectly still — intense focus or patient endurance.

ジッと describes two related states of stillness. First, staring at something with intense, unbroken focus — ジッと見る means to gaze fixedly. Second, staying completely motionless and enduring — ジッと我慢する means to bear something patiently without flinching. Both uses convey a sense of intense concentration, restraint, or silent endurance. The word carries a somewhat tense, focused atmosphere.

Examples

1. あの人ずっとジッとこっち見てて怖いんだけど。 That person has been staring at me the whole time and it's creepy.
2. 痛かったけどジッと我慢した。 It hurt, but I gritted my teeth and endured it.
3. 猫がジッと動かずに獲物を狙ってる。 The cat is staying perfectly still, eyeing its prey.

Usage Guide

Context: staring, patience, endurance, observation

Tone: intense, focused, still

Do Say

• ジッと見つめないでよ、恥ずかしいから (Don't stare at me, it's embarrassing)
• ジッとしてて、動かないで (Stay still, don't move)

Don't Say

• 動き回ってる状態に「ジッと」は矛盾 (Using 'jitto' when someone is moving around is contradictory — it means motionless)

Common Mistakes

• Not knowing the endurance meaning — ジッと我慢する (endure patiently) is just as common as the staring meaning
• Pronouncing it without the geminate — the っ (double consonant) is essential for the correct sound and meaning

Origin & History

Traditional Japanese mimetic word (擬態語) expressing the state of complete stillness and focused attention. The っと ending creates the adverbial form. One of the foundational movement/stillness onomatopoeia in Japanese.

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional onomatopoeia

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. ジッと見る and ジッと我慢する are fundamental Japanese expressions.