兎角
とかく
tending to; apt to; in any case; one way or another; this and that
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Examples
人は兎角、楽な方へ流されやすい。
ひとはとかく、らくなほうへながされやすい。
People are apt to drift towards whatever is easiest.
あの人には兎角のうわさがあった。
あのひとにはとかくのうわさがあった。
There were rumours of one kind and another about him.
若い頃は兎角、人の意見を聞かないものだ。
わかいころはとかく、ひとのいけんをきかないものだ。
When we are young we tend not to listen to what others say.
兎角するうちに、日が暮れてしまった。
とかくするうちに、ひがくれてしまった。
While this and that was going on, the sun went down.
Common patterns
- 兎角〜がちだ
- to be apt to ...
- 兎角のうわさ
- rumours of one sort and another
- 兎角するうちに
- meanwhile; in the course of things
Memory tip
The kanji 兎 'rabbit' and 角 'horn' are pure phonetic borrowing — a rabbit has no horns — and the word is normally written とかく. Its commonest modern use is the 'people tend to...' pattern, usually with a wry, slightly critical tone.
Kanji in this word
- 兎Not in the N5–N1 kanji lists
- 角corner, angle, hornカク・かど・つの
Quick check
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What does 兎角 mean?