Japanese

ざす

くちをとざす
Meaning: to shut one's mouth; to fall silent; to refuse to speak
Part of Speech: Idiom, Verb

Listen to pronunciation

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Verb inflections

Form Affirmative Negative
Present 口を閉ざす 口を閉ざさない
Polite 口を閉ざします 口を閉ざしません
Past 口を閉ざした 口を閉ざさなかった
Polite + Past 口を閉ざしました 口を閉ざしませんでした
Te-form 口を閉ざして 口を閉ざさなくて
Potential 口を閉ざせる 口を閉ざせない
Passive 口を閉ざされる 口を閉ざされない
Causative 口を閉ざさせる 口を閉ざさせない
Imperative 口を閉ざせ 口を閉ざすな

Handwriting

口
を
閉
ざ
す

Example

He stubbornly refused to speak about the incident.

Usage Notes

Used when someone intentionally remains silent or refuses to disclose information. Similar to '口を噤む'.

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