立て込む・立込む|たてこむtatekomu[0]heiban (flat)
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Which spelling to use
立て込む立て込む（たてこむ） is the most common written form and the recommended choice for beginners.
立込む立込む（たてこむ） is less common than 立て込む（たてこむ） and is another kanji-and-kana spelling of the same word.
Definitions
- godan verb, intransitive verbto be crowded; to be packed; to be busy
- godan verb, intransitive verbto be piled up (of work); to be busy (with many things); to be packed (of one's schedule); to have a lot of work to do; to have one's hands full
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 立て込む（たてこむ） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 立て込みます（たてこみます） |
| Negative (nai) | 立て込まない（たてこまない） |
| polite (masen) | 立て込みません（たてこみません） |
| classical zu / nu | 立て込まず・立て込まぬ（たてこまず・たてこまぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 立て込んだ（たてこんだ） |
| polite (mashita) | 立て込みました（たてこみました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 立て込まなかった（たてこまなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 立て込みませんでした（たてこみませんでした） |
| Te form | 立て込んで（たてこんで） |
| Potential | 立て込める（たてこめる） |
| Passive | 立て込まれる（たてこまれる） |
| Causative | 立て込ませる（たてこませる） |
| Causative passive | 立て込ませられる・立て込まされる（たてこませられる・たてこまされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 立て込めば（たてこめば） |
| tara | 立て込んだら（たてこんだら） |
| Volitional | 立て込もう（たてこもう） |
| polite (mashou) | 立て込みましょう（たてこみましょう） |
| Imperative | 立て込め（たてこめ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym群集ぐんしゅうWrittenWritten style, noun and verb, for many people or living things gathering; also used in academic prose. Unlike 「立て込む」, it never means being swamped with work.
- SynonymひしめくNeutralPeople or things packed into one spot (「店内は客でひしめく」「店がひしめく」); stresses dense, clamorous crowding and is never used for a busy workload.
- Related詰め掛けるつめかけるNeutralCrowds flocking to a place (「ファンが詰め掛ける」); stresses the action of people surging in, while 「立て込む」 stresses the crowded state and can also mean being busy with work.
- Related押し寄せるおしよせるNeutralLarge crowds or waves surging in with force (「波が押し寄せる」); the scale is big and the momentum strong, and it is never used for being busy with work.
- Related群がるむらがるNeutralPeople or animals swarming round something (「蟻が群がる」); stresses clustering together, whereas 「立て込む」 describes a crowded venue or a pile-up of tasks.
- Related群れるむれるNeutralFlocking or banding together (「群れて行動する」); often carries a negative nuance for people, stressing group cohesion, not crowdedness or busyness.
- RelatedたかるCasualColloquial for crowding round, but also for sponging or extorting money (「金をたかる」); the sponging sense is common and has nothing to do with being busy.
- Related人だかりひとだかりNeutralA noun for a crowd of onlookers gathered in one place (「人だかりができる」); stresses people watching something, while 「立て込む」 is a verb for the crowded state.
- Related群衆ぐんしゅうWrittenA written-style noun for a mass of assembled people (「群衆心理」); it views the crowd as a whole and never describes a packed shop or a busy workload.
- Related蝟集いしゅうWrittenDense swarming in written style, and rare (「人々が蝟集する」); in everyday speech use 「群がる」 or 「集まる」 instead.
- Related群れ集うむれつどうWrittenWritten and elegant, though rare: flocking together. It only describes people or things assembling and lacks 「立て込む」's sense of being swamped with tasks.
- Antonym空くすくNeutralBecoming empty or thinning out (「電車が空く」); the opposite of 「立て込む」 in its crowdedness sense.
- Antonym開くあくNeutralFreeing up or having slack time (「手が空く」「時間が空く」); the opposite of 「立て込む」 in its busyness sense.
Use 「立て込む」 for a place crowded with customers or for being swamped with tasks, as in 「仕事が立て込んでいる」. For crowds surging to a spot use 「詰め掛ける」, and for a place packed with people use 「ひしめく」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
