足掻き

Etymology 1
The of verb, itself a compound of.

Noun

 * 1) pawing of hooves at the ground
 * 2) struggling, flailing about
 * 3) movement of one's hands and legs
 * 1) movement of one's hands and legs

Related terms

 * : to paw at the ground; to struggle

Idioms

 * : “to be unable to take any movement of one's limbs” → to be stuck, to not have options
 * : “movement does not stick / have an effect” → to be stuck, to not have options
 * : “to hit the pawing” →

Etymology 2
Compound of.

Noun

 * 1) pawing at the ground
 * 2) a children's game played by hopping around on one foot

Etymology 3


Compound of, possibly from the way that horses or cattle might paw at the grass when grazing. Note the lack of rendaku.

Noun

 * , a kind of cutgrass native to Japan

Usage notes
As with many terms used in biology contexts, this term is often spelled in katakana.