不手際

• Reading: ふてぎわ
• Romaji: futegiwa
• Kanji breakdown: 不 (fu) — not, un-; 手 (te) — hand; 際 (giwa/kiwa) — edge, verge, occasion
• Pronunciation: /ɸɯ.te.gi.wa/

Meaning

Clumsiness; ineptitude; poor handling. A failure in skill or management that leads to a bad outcome.

A noun and na-adjective describing a botched job or poor execution: 不手際をお詫びします (I apologise for the blunder), 事務処理の不手際 (administrative bungling). Often used when taking responsibility for mistakes in professional or official contexts. Implies the person had the capacity to do better but failed in execution.

Examples

1. こちらの不手際でご迷惑をおかけしました。 We apologize for the trouble caused by our mistake.
2. 受付の不手際で予約が二重になってしまった。 Due to an error at the front desk, the reservation ended up double-booked.
3. 施工の不手際が原因で雨漏りが発生した。 A construction error caused the roof to start leaking.

Usage Guide

Context: business, apologies, reports

Tone: apologetic

Origin & History

From Japanese: 不 (fu, not) + 手際 (tegiwa, skill/dexterity). 手際 originally described the skill of one's hands — 不手際 is thus a lack of that dexterity or competence.

Cultural Context

Era: Pre-modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal