毟むしる

む

し

る

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

Used for pulling something off with fingers, such as feathers, hair, grass, or petals. Often implies a somewhat rough or forceful action.

鶏にわとりの羽はねをむしる。
I pluck the chicken's feathers.
彼かれは庭にわの草くさをむしっていた。
He was pulling weeds in the garden.

Written forms

毟むしるUsage7%
Standard kanji spelling for plucking, picking, or tearing off.
むしるUsage92%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji is not needed.
挘むしるUsage1%
Variant kanji form; rarely used in modern Japanese.

Kanji

毟pluck, pick, tear
挘pluck, pick, tear

Similar words

摘つむ
摘む means to pick or pluck delicately, often with fingertips, while 毟る implies a rougher, more forceful pulling or tearing action.
引ひき抜ぬく
引き抜く means to pull out or extract something firmly, often from a fixed position, whereas 毟る focuses on tearing or plucking off surface-level items.

Etymology

The exact derivation is uncertain. The kanji 毟 is a kokuji (Japanese-made character) combining 少 (few, little) and 毛 (hair), suggesting the action of removing hair or feathers.