Translation guide
How to express 'get entangled' in Japanese, covering physical tangling, involvement in situations, and romantic entanglements.
Describing when things become twisted, tangled, or caught together.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to become entangled/tangled'. Used for strings, hair, wires, etc. getting tangled on their own or around something.
糸が絡まった。
The thread got tangled.
髪の毛が絡まって、ブラシが通らない。
My hair is tangled and the brush won't go through.
Intransitive verb for becoming tangled, especially for long thin things like threads, ropes, or hair. Often implies a messy tangle.
釣り糸がもつれた。
The fishing line got tangled.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to get entangled with' or 'to be involved with'. Can be used for physical tangling, but often implies intertwining with something else.
コードが足に絡んだ。
The cord got tangled around my leg.
Means 'to get caught/snagged'. Used when something gets caught on a protrusion, not necessarily tangled in a knot.
セーターが釘に引っかかった。
My sweater got caught on a nail.
Getting caught up in trouble, disputes, or complicated matters.
Passive form of 巻き込む (to involve). Means 'to get involved/dragged into' something, often trouble or an unwanted situation.
彼はトラブルに巻き込まれた。
He got entangled in trouble.
争いに巻き込まれたくない。
I don't want to get entangled in a dispute.
Means 'to be involved with' or 'to have to do with'. Often used in negative contexts to express avoiding entanglement.
Literally 'become a troublesome thing'. A natural way to say you got into a messy or complicated situation.
彼に頼んだら、面倒なことになった。
When I asked him, I got entangled in a mess.
Being involved in a complicated romantic relationship or emotional attachment.
Literally 'tangled relationship'. Used for complicated romantic or interpersonal relationships.
二人はもつれた関係にある。
They are in an entangled relationship.
Means 'to get deeply involved', often in a romantic or risky way. Can be used as a warning.
彼女に深入りしすぎた。
I got too entangled with her.
Literally 'to drown', but metaphorically means to be deeply absorbed or addicted, often in love or pleasure.
Both mean 'to tangle', but 絡まる (karamaru) often implies winding around something, while もつれる (motsureru) suggests a messy knot or snarl. 絡まる is more common for hair or strings wrapping around objects; もつれる is used for threads, ropes, or situations becoming complicated.
Directly translating 'get entangled' as 絡まる or もつれる may not fit when referring to situations or relationships. Use 巻き込まれる for trouble, and もつれた関係 for complicated relationships.
あの人には関わらないほうがいい。
You shouldn't get entangled with that person.
恋に溺れる。
To be entangled in love.