“tsukiatari / ikiatari” Meaning — The End (of a Road) / Hitting a Wall [JLPT N2]

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

“The end of the hallway” — the end of a path, a dead end, or muddling through, with examples. (JLPT N2)

「廊下の突き当たりを右へ」 — the end of a hallway, and the figurative ‘hitting a wall'

Asking directions, you often hear 「この廊下の突き当たりを右に曲がってください」 (please turn right at the end of this hallway) — 「突き当たり・行き当たり」 is a set of expressions about “the end, running into”: 突き当たり = the end (of a road/hallway) (also figuratively hitting a wall); 行き当たりばったり = haphazard, without a plan. This guide covers 「突き当たり／突き当たる」's literal and figurative senses, its difference from 「行き止まり,」 and the idiomatic 「行き当たりばったり.」

Core: the end you reach／running into

This set stems from 「突き当たる (to run into, reach the end)」:

• 突き当たり = the end, head (of a road/hallway): where you can go no further and must turn: 廊下の突き当たり (the end of the hallway), 突き当たりを左へ (left at the end). Very common in giving directions.
• 突き当たる = run into, hit (literal)／hit a wall, come up against (figurative): 壁に突き当たる (hit a wall), 難題に突き当たる (run into a hard problem, hit a snag).
• 行き当たりばったり = haphazard, without a plan, go with the flow: 行き当たりばったりの旅 (an unplanned, spontaneous trip).

Feel: “the end／run into／haphazard” — 「突き当たり」 literally is the end of a road (common for directions), 「突き当たる」 can figuratively mean “run into a problem, hit a snag,” and 「行き当たりばったり」 is the idiom “without a plan, doing as it comes.”

How it attaches

Examples in context

• この道を真っ直ぐ行くと、突き当たりに駅があります。(Go straight down this road and the station is at the end.) — the end
• 突き当たりを右に曲がると、トイレです。(Turn right at the end and there's the restroom.) — directions
• 研究が壁に突き当たって、行き詰まっている。(The research has hit a wall and is stuck.) — figurative wall
• 難しい問題に突き当たったときこそ、成長のチャンスだ。(It's precisely when you run into a hard problem that there's a chance to grow.) — figurative
• 計画も立てず、行き当たりばったりで旅をした。(Without even making a plan, I traveled by the seat of my pants.) — no plan

⚠️ Where learners slip up

① 「突き当たり」 is the very common ‘end' for directions. 「突き当たり」's commonest, most practical use is saying “the end (of a road/hallway)” when giving directions — where you go forward until “you can't go straight anymore, must turn.” Japanese love it for directions: 「この道の突き当たりを右 (right at the end of this road)」「廊下を進んで、突き当たりが会議室です (go down the hall, and the end is the meeting room)」「突き当たりを左に曲がってください (please turn left at the end).」 So for asking directions or reading signs in Japan, 「突き当たり」 is a must-know word. Remember this scene use: 突き当たり ＋ を ＋ direction (右/左) = turn ～ at the end. It refers to “the endpoint of a road, where it butts up against the end.”

② 「突き当たる」 can figuratively mean ‘hit a wall, hit a snag.' Besides the literal “run into (壁に突き当たる = hit a wall),” 「突き当たる」 very often figuratively means “run into a problem, hit a snag, get stuck” — like walking to a dead end and hitting a wall, things can't move forward: 研究が壁に突き当たる (the research hits a wall), 難問に突き当たる (run into a hard problem), 限界に突き当たる (hit a limit), 交渉が暗礁に突き当たる (negotiations run aground). Here it expresses “hitting an obstacle mid-progress, getting stuck,” a vivid metaphor (likening an abstract impasse to physically hitting a wall). English “hit a wall, run aground, hit a snag, hit a bottleneck” all correspond. To vividly say “things got stuck, hit an obstacle,” use 「〜に突き当たる.」

③ 「行き当たりばったり」 = without a plan, haphazard (an idiom). 「行き当たりばったり」 is a fixed idiom meaning “without a plan, doing as it comes, going with the flow, improvising on the spot,” mostly with a (slightly negative or casual) “not properly planned” nuance: 行き当たりばったりの計画 (a haphazard plan), 行き当たりばったりで生きる (living by the seat of one's pants), 行き当たりばったりの旅もいい (an unplanned, spontaneous trip is nice too). It describes a way of doing things “without planning ahead, taking things as they come.” Note it's a fixed idiom (行き当たり ＋ ばったり) that can't be split up. Though 「突き当たり (the end)」 and it both have 「当たり,」 they mean different things — one “without a plan,” one “the end.” To describe “totally unplanned, spontaneous,” use 「行き当たりばったり.」

🔄 Compare: 突き当たり／突き当たる／行き止まり／行き当たりばったり

💡 An exam judgment tip

「突き当たり・行き当たり」 all stem from 「突き当たる (reach the end, run into)」 — three points: ① 「突き当たり」 = the end (of a road) — very common for directions (突き当たりを右へ = right at the end), a must-know for asking directions in Japan; ② 「突き当たる」 can figuratively mean hitting a wall, a snag — 研究が壁に突き当たる (the research hits a wall), 難問に突き当たる (run into a hard problem), vividly likening an impasse to hitting a wall; ③ 「行き当たりばったり」 = without a plan, haphazard — a fixed idiom for spontaneous, unplanned. Distinctions: 「突き当たり」 is the end (must turn), 「行き止まり」 is a dead end (can't pass), 「行き当たりばったり」 is no plan. This set is practical and vivid — 突き当たり for directions, 突き当たる for hitting a wall, 行き当たりばったり for spontaneity, each with its scene.

❓ Questions you might have

Q: Are 「突き当たり」 and 「行き止まり」 both the ‘end' of a road? What's the difference?

Both relate to “a road reaching its end,” but mean different things. 「突き当たり」 = the end (of a road/hallway), the head (where you reach the end and must turn): it refers to where a road, going forward, reaches “you can't go straight anymore,” and there you can usually turn left or right (a turning endpoint). It's commonest for directions: この廊下の突き当たりを右 (right at the end of this hallway), 突き当たりに受付があります (there's a reception at the end). The point is “reach the end, butt up against the wall/endpoint, must turn.” 「行き止まり」 = a dead end, no through road (no way forward): it refers to a road that ends here, can't proceed, and can't turn either (a dead end, a stub): この道は行き止まりだ (this road is a dead end), 行き止まりなので、引き返した (since it's a dead end, I turned back). The point is “no road ahead, can't pass.” Difference: 「突き当たり」 is “the turning endpoint where you reach the end” (you can still turn left/right); 「行き止まり」 is “a dead end with no road at all, can't pass” (can't proceed). Test: for directions saying “the end (turn ～)” use 突き当たり; for “no through road, a dead end” use 行き止まり. E.g. 「突き当たりを左 (left at the end — you can still go)」 and 「行き止まりだから戻ろう (it's a dead end, let's turn back — can't go)」 mean different things.

Q: Besides ‘run into,' what can 「突き当たる」 figuratively mean?

It can figuratively mean “hit a wall, hit a snag, get into a bind” — a vivid, common figurative use. 「突き当たる」's literal sense is “run into, butt against (a physical thing),” as in 「壁に突き当たる (hit a wall)」「車が電柱に突き当たった (the car hit a utility pole).」 By extension, it's often used to figuratively mean “hitting an obstacle mid-way through doing something, getting stuck, unable to proceed” — like walking along and hitting a wall:

• 研究が壁に突き当たる (the research hits a wall, reaches an impasse)
• 難問に突き当たる (run into a hard problem)
• 交渉が暗礁に突き当たる (negotiations run aground)
• 人生で困難に突き当たったとき (when you run into difficulty in life)
• 開発が技術的な限界に突き当たった (development hit a technical limit)

Here 「突き当たる」 expresses “hitting an obstacle, a snag, mid-progress,” likening the abstract “running into difficulty, getting stuck” to physically “hitting a wall,” very vivid. English “hit a wall, run aground, hit a bottleneck, get stuck, reach an impasse” all correspond. Common collocations are 「壁に突き当たる (hit a wall)」「困難／難問／限界に突き当たる (run into difficulty/a hard problem/a limit).」 So 「突き当たる」 is a verb used both literally and figuratively: literally “run into (something),” figuratively “hit a wall, hit a snag.” To vividly express “things can't move forward, hit an obstacle,” 「〜に突き当たる」 is expressive.

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「この廊下の___を右に曲がってください。」(the end)

(A) 突き当たり　(B) 行き止まり方　(C) 真ん中ばかり　(D) 入り口だけ

Q2. What does 「行き当たりばったり」 mean?

(A) Without any plan, taking it as it comes

(B) Well-planned

(C) On time

(D) Cautious

Q3. What does 「突き当たりに駅がある」 mean?

(A) There is a station at the end (of the road)

(B) There is a station at the entrance

(C) There is a station in the middle

(D) There is no station

Q4. What does 「壁に突き当たる」 mean?

(A) To run into a wall / hit a bottleneck

(B) To tear down a wall

(C) To build a wall

(D) To move away from a wall

Q5. Which usage is natural?

(A) 道の突き当たりを左へ。　(B) 突き当たりを食べる。

(C) 行き当たりばったりだ高い。　(D) 突き当たりに行く計画的。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) 突き当たり ── The end of the corridor.

2. (A) ── Without a plan, taking it as it comes.

3. (A) ── There is a station at the end of the road.

4. (A) ── To run into a wall / hit a bottleneck.

5. (A) ── 「道の突き当たりを左へ」 is correct.