絶句 (ぜっく - Zekku): When You Are Literally 'Speechless'

Have you ever been in a situation where your brain seems to shut down, your mouth opens but no sound comes out? It could be after hearing a brutally honest comment, witnessing an unbelievable act, or facing a shocking truth.

In Japanese, there's a perfect word to encapsulate this feeling of being 'dumbstruck': 絶句 (zekku).

絶句 is not just surprise 😮

Many people might confuse 絶句 with 驚く (odoroku - to be surprised). But 絶句 is on a whole different level. It's not just mere surprise; it's being stunned, amazed, or shocked to the point of being unable to speak (言葉を失う).

Simply put, 絶句 = Shock + Speechlessness.

Moments that leave you 絶句

Let's see in what real-life situations the Japanese use this word:

1. When hearing a harsh or absurd remark 🤯

This is the most common scenario. You're enthusiastically talking about your passion project, and your best friend coolly remarks after listening:

「そのアイデア、小学生でも考えつくよ。」 (Even an elementary school student could come up with that idea.)

The moment you are 'frozen,' not knowing how to respond, is when you 絶句した.

Another example:

遅刻した彼氏の言い訳がめちゃくちゃで、絶句した。 (My boyfriend's excuse for being late was so absurd that I was speechless.)

2. When witnessing an unbelievable act 🤦‍♀️

You're waiting in a long line to check out, and suddenly someone calmly cuts in at the front. Instead of anger, your first reaction might be stunned disbelief.

マナーの悪さに絶句…。 (I'm speechless at such bad manners...)

3. When facing an overwhelming sight (both negative and positive) ✨

絶句 isn't just for bad situations. Sometimes, a view so beautiful it 'takes your breath away' can also make you 絶句.

目の前に広がる満点の星空に、ただ絶句するしかなかった。 (Faced with the star-filled sky spreading before my eyes, all I could do was be rendered speechless.)

Or when you receive your phone bill after a month of uncontrolled binge-watching:

電話代の請求額を見て絶句した。 (I was dumbstruck when I saw the phone bill.)

Pro Tip

絶句 is a word that expresses a strong emotion. Use it when you are genuinely shocked to the point of being unable to say anything. It often appears in the form 〜して絶句した (did ~ and was speechless) or 〜に絶句した (was speechless at ~).

Next time you encounter an 'unbelievable' situation and feel that all words fail you, remember 絶句. It accurately conveys that 'what on earth' feeling in a concise and impactful way! 😉