Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
こね回す (こねまわす) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
knead thoroughly ; mix by kneading
Literally, to knead something with one's hands repeatedly or thoroughly. Often used figuratively to mean overthinking or complicating a matter, similar to 'turning something over and over in one's mind' or 'making a mess of an issue'.
まわ
し
て
、
かえって
混こん
乱らん
さ
せ
た
。
He kept turning the problem over in his mind and ended up making it more confusing.
Written forms こね 回まわ す Usage 52%
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling; the most common written form.
こねまわす Usage 37%
捏こ ね 回まわ す Usage 11%
Rare kanji spelling using 捏; may not be recognized by all readers.
捏こね 回まわ す
Even rarer abbreviated kanji spelling; likely to cause reading difficulty.
Similar words こねる こねる is the base verb meaning 'to knead'. こね回す adds the nuance of doing it repeatedly, thoroughly, or excessively, and is more likely to be used figuratively.
Etymology Compound of こねる (knead) and 回す (turn, revolve), literally 'to knead around'. The figurative sense likely developed from the idea of repeatedly handling or manipulating something, similar to English 'to mull over' or 'to hash out'.
