こじれる

こ

じ

れ

る

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

こじれる · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	こじれる	こじれない
Polite	こじれます	こじれません
Past polite	こじれました	こじれませんでした
Past	こじれた	こじれなかった
Te-form	こじれて	こじれないで
Desire	こじれたい	こじれたくない
Potential	こじれられるalso こじれれる	こじれられないalso こじれれない
Passive	こじれられる	こじれられない
Causative	こじれさせる	こじれさせない
Causative passive	こじれさせられる	こじれさせられない
Volitional	こじれよう
Polite volitional	こじれましょう
Imperative	こじれろ	こじれるな
Conditional	こじれれば	こじれなければ
Tara conditional	こじれたら	こじれなかったら

Pairs withこじらせる

Meanings

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

get complicated; go wrong; turn sour

usually written using kana alone

Describes a situation, relationship, or plan that becomes tangled, worsens, or goes awry, often beyond easy repair. Intransitive; the subject is the thing that goes wrong.

話はなし合あいがこじれて、結けっ局きょく何なにも決きまらなかった。
The discussion got complicated and in the end nothing was decided.
二人ふたりの関かん係けいがこじれてしまった。
Their relationship turned sour.
計けい画かくがこじれて、中ちゅう止しになった。
The plan went wrong and was canceled.

See all 17 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉がこじれるfor a matter/situation to become complicated or go wrong
話はなし合あいがこじれて、裁さい判ばんになってしまった。
The discussion turned sour and ended up going to court.
関かん係けいがこじれるfor a relationship to sour or go wrong
小ちいさな誤ご解かいから、二人ふたりの関かん係けいがこじれてしまった。
A small misunderstanding caused their relationship to sour.
交こう渉しょうがこじれるfor negotiations to break down or become deadlocked
価か格かくをめぐって交こう渉しょうがこじれ、契けい約やくは白はく紙しになった。
The negotiations broke down over the price, and the contract was scrapped.

Kanji

拗crooked, twisted, distorted

Transitive / intransitive

こじらせるN1
拗れる is intransitive (a situation goes wrong on its own), while 拗らせる is the transitive verb meaning to make something worse or more complicated, as in 風邪をこじらせる.

Related words

もつれるN1
もつれる focuses on things becoming tangled or entangled (legs, threads, talks), while 拗れる stresses that a relationship or matter has worsened due to unresolved friction.
紛ふん糾きゅう
紛糾する is a more formal word for a meeting, dispute, or negotiation becoming chaotic and hard to settle, whereas 拗れる is used more broadly for any relationship or situation souring.
悪あっ化かN2
悪化する simply means to worsen and can describe health, weather, or conditions in general, while 拗れる specifically implies a situation has become tangled or gone sour due to friction.
ねじれるN1
こじれる and 捩れる both describe a situation becoming complicated, but こじれる implies a stronger, harder-to-fix worsening, especially in relationships or negotiations.
もめるN2
こじれる emphasizes a relationship or situation twisting and worsening over time, while 揉める emphasizes the disagreement or friction itself, often among multiple parties.

Don't confuse with

すねるN1
拗ねる (to sulk or pout) shares the kanji 拗 with 拗れる but describes a person's petulant emotional reaction, not a situation going wrong.

Word family

こじれ
complication; tangle; snarl

Written forms

こじれるUsage97%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 拗れる is rare and may not be recognized by all readers.
拗こじれるUsage3%
Kanji form is uncommon; learners should prefer the kana spelling.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. The kanji 拗 is associated with twisting or stubbornness, but the word is now usually written in kana.