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掻き抱く (かきいだく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
godan verb (-ku), transitive verb
hug tightly ; clasp to one's breast
Emotional, often desperate or passionate embrace. The かき prefix intensifies the action, giving a nuance of clutching or drawing someone close with strong feeling.
抱いだ
い
て
離はな
さ
なかっ
た
。
The two, reunited, clasped each other tightly and wouldn't let go.
Written forms 掻か き 抱いだ く Usage 20%
Standard kanji spelling. 掻き is a prefix-like element adding emphasis or a sense of 'doing vigorously'.
搔か き 抱いだ く Usage 40%
search-only kanji form
Search-only form using the kyūjitai 搔. Not used in modern writing.
かきいだく Usage 40%
かき 抱いだ く
Common mixed kana-kanji spelling, especially when the writer wants to avoid the less common 掻 kanji.
Kanji 抱 embrace, hug, hold in arms Similar words 抱いだ く 抱く is a general verb for 'to hug' or 'to hold in one's arms', while 掻き抱く adds an intensive, emotional nuance of clutching or embracing fervently.
抱だ きしめる 抱きしめる is the common modern word for 'to hug tightly'. 掻き抱く is more literary and emotionally charged, often used in dramatic or poetic contexts.
Etymology Compound of the prefix 掻き (kaki-, emphasizing the action) and 抱く (idaku, 'to hug, to hold in one's arms'). The prefix 掻き derives from the verb 掻く (kaku, 'to scratch, to rake'), but here it functions as an intensifier.
