Home › Japanese › Glossary › stumble
Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "stumble" in Japanese?
つまずく
tsumazuku
In Japanese, "stumble" is つまずく (tsumazuku).
Listen to the pronunciation:
Free Japanese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games
Pronunciation
Tsu-ma-zu-ku, four syllables, shares the 'tsuma' root with tiptoe above but ends abruptly on 'zuku', like catching your foot.
Writing and usage
つまずく is written using hiragana. It's a verb, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
彼はつまずき、よろめき始めた。
kareha tsumazuki, yoromeki hajime ta.
He tripped and began to stumble.
Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.
How to remember つまずく
Tsumazuku starts like tsumasaki (toe) — your toe catches on something and you stumble.
Related words
- whistle 口笛を吹く kuchibue wo fuku
- yawn あくびをする akubiwosuru
- hiccup しゃっくりする shakkurisuru
- blink まばたきをする mabatakiwosuru
- stretch 伸びをする nobi wosuru
- bend 曲げる mage ru
- kneel ひざまずく hizamazuku
- squat しゃがむ shagamu
- compare 比較する hikaku suru
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about つまずく
How do you pronounce つまずく?
Tsu-ma-zu-ku, four syllables, shares the 'tsuma' root with tiptoe above but ends abruptly on 'zuku', like catching your foot.
Is つまずく formal or casual?
つまずく is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is つまずく written in Japanese?
つまずく is written using hiragana. Romanised, it reads as tsumazuku.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Stumble" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR
These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.
See the full game ▶Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town