付つけ込こむ

つ

け

こ

む

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

付け込む · godan verb (-mu)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	付つけ込こむ	付つけ込こまない
Polite	付つけ込こみます	付つけ込こみません
Past polite	付つけ込こみました	付つけ込こみませんでした
Past	付つけ込こんだ	付つけ込こまなかった
Te-form	付つけ込こんで	付つけ込こまないで
Desire	付つけ込こみたい	付つけ込こみたくない
Potential	付つけ込こめる	付つけ込こめない
Passive	付つけ込こまれる	付つけ込こまれない
Causative	付つけ込こませる	付つけ込こませない
Causative passive	付つけ込こませられるalso 付つけ込こまされる	付つけ込こませられないalso 付つけ込こまされない
Volitional	付つけ込こもう
Polite volitional	付つけ込こみましょう
Imperative	付つけ込こめ	付つけ込こむな
Conditional	付つけ込こめば	付つけ込こまなければ
Tara conditional	付つけ込こんだら	付つけ込こまなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-mu), intransitive verb

take advantage of; exploit; impose on

Intransitive use with に: exploit someone's weakness, kindness, or a situation for personal gain. Often carries a negative connotation.

彼かれは人ひとの親しん切せつに付つけ込こむのがうまい。
He is good at taking advantage of people's kindness.
相あい手ての弱よわみに付つけ込こんで、高たかい値ね段だんで契けい約やくさせた。
They exploited the other party's weakness and made them sign a contract at a high price.

godan verb (-mu), transitive verb

enter in a ledger; make a book entry

Transitive use: record a transaction or item in an account book or ledger. Often used in bookkeeping contexts.

経けい費ひを帳ちょう簿ぼに付つけ込こむ。
Enter the expenses in the ledger.
毎まい日にちの売うり上あげをきちんと付つけ込こんでください。
Please record the daily sales properly in the book.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉の弱よわみに付つけ込こむto exploit someone's weakness
詐さ欺ぎ師しは高こう齢れい者しゃの弱よわみに付つけ込こんで金かねをだまし取とった。
The scammer exploited the elderly person's weakness to swindle money out of them.
帳ちょう簿ぼに〈物もの〉を付つけ込こむto enter an item in a ledger
毎まい日にちの売うり上あげを帳ちょう簿ぼに付つけ込こむのが彼かれの仕し事ごとだ。
His job is to enter the daily sales figures in the ledger.
〈事こと〉に付つけ込こむto take advantage of a situation or circumstance
会かい社しゃの混こん乱らんに付つけ込こんで、彼かれはこっそり利り益えきを得えた。
He secretly profited by taking advantage of the company's confusion.
隙すきに付つけ込こむto seize an opening or lapse in attention
泥どろ棒ぼうは住じゅう民みんの隙すきに付つけ込こんで家いえに侵しん入にゅうした。
The burglar broke into the house by seizing a moment when the residents were off guard.

Expressions

足あし元もとに付つけ込こむtake advantage of someone's weakness

Kanji

込crowded, mixture, in bulk
付adhere, attach, refer to

Related words

乗じょうじるN1sense 1
乗じる means to seize an opportunity or circumstance to one's advantage, while 付け込む specifically implies exploiting someone's weakness or kindness in a negative way.
記き入にゅうN3sense 2
記入する is a general term for writing something down or filling in a form, while 付け込む is specifically used for making entries in an account book or ledger.
利り用ようN4sense 1
利用する is a neutral term for 'to use' or 'utilize', whereas 付け込む carries a negative nuance of exploiting a person's weakness or a situation.
悪あく用ようN1sense 1
悪用する means to misuse something (like power or information) for a bad purpose, while 付け込む focuses on exploiting a person's vulnerability or a favorable moment.
便びん乗じょうN1
付け込む means to exploit someone's weakness or a favorable moment, whereas 便乗 more broadly means riding along with a trend or situation for one's own benefit.

Don't confuse with

付つけ加くわえるN1
付け加える means to add something extra to what has already been said or done, while 付け込む means to exploit a weakness or to enter an item in a ledger; the two are easily confused because both begin with 付け.

Written forms

付つけ込こむUsage17%
Standard kanji spelling; it is the primary form.
つけこむUsage42%
Kana-only spelling; used when the kanji nuance is not needed.
つけ込こむUsage40%
Alternate spelling with the first element in kana; also common.

Etymology

Compound of 付ける (tsukeru, 'attach') and 込む (komu, 'go into'), literally 'attach into'. The figurative sense of exploiting developed from the idea of inserting oneself into a situation.