つまずく

つまずく · tsumazuku · JLPT N2 · verb-godan

to trip

🦶 躓 = 足 (foot) + 質: a foot catches on something solid and you lurch forward

The kanji 躓 pairs the foot radical 足 with 質, so the word is about a foot meeting an obstacle. Everyday text usually writes it in kana as つまずく.

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