足掻く

Japanese

Kanji in this term
足	掻
あ Grade: 1	か > が Hyōgai
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
足搔く (kyūjitai)

Etymology

足(あ) (a, “foot”, older combining form of ashi) + 掻(か)く (kaku, “to scratch”)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) あがく [àgáꜜkù] (Nakadaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [a̠ɡa̠kɯ̟]

Verb

足(あ)掻(が)く • (agaku) godan (stem 足(あ)掻(が)き (agaki), past 足(あ)掻(が)いた (agaita))

1. to struggle (physically)

   Synonym: もがく (mogaku)

2. to struggle; to strive (to make effort to improve a situation)

   Synonym: もがく (mogaku)

3. (literal) to paw at the ground
   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 7, poem 1141:

     武庫(むこ)河(がはの)　水尾(みをを)急嘉(はやみと)　赤(あか)駒(ごまの)　足何久(あがく)激(たぎちに)　沾(ぬれに)祁流(ける)鴨(かも) [Man'yōgana]

     武庫(むこ)川(がは)の　水脈(みを)を早(はや)みと　赤駒(あかごま)の　足掻(あが)くたぎちに　濡(ぬ)れにけるかも [Modern spelling]

     <Muko₁gapa no₂ mi₁wo wo payami₁ to₂ akago₁ma no₂ agaku tagi₁ti ni nurenike₁ru kamo₁>
     → Mukogawa no mio o hayami to akagoma no agaku tagichi ni nurenikeru kamo

     Owing to the rapidness of the deep flow of Muko River, how wet I got by the splashes from my red horse's pawing!

Usage notes

• This term is often spelled in kana.

Conjugation

Conjugation of "足掻く" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	足掻か	あがか	agaka
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	足掻き	あがき	agaki
Shūshikei ("terminal")	足掻く	あがく	agaku
Rentaikei ("attributive")	足掻く	あがく	agaku
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	足掻け	あがけ	agake
Meireikei ("imperative")	足掻け	あがけ	agake
Key constructions
Passive	足掻かれる	あがかれる	agakareru
Causative	足掻かせる 足掻かす	あがかせる あがかす	agakaseru agakasu
Potential	足掻ける	あがける	agakeru
Volitional	足掻こう	あがこう	agakō
Negative	足掻かない	あがかない	agakanai
Negative continuative	足掻かず	あがかず	agakazu
Formal	足掻きます	あがきます	agakimasu
Perfective	足掻いた	あがいた	agaita
Conjunctive	足掻いて	あがいて	agaite
Hypothetical conditional	足掻けば	あがけば	agakeba

Derived terms

• 足掻(あが)き (agaki)