いざる

い

ざ

る

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

shuffle on one's bottom or knees; crawl

usually written using kana alone

Describes moving while seated or kneeling, often without using the legs properly. Can refer to a person scooting along the floor or a traditional way of moving in certain contexts.

赤あかちゃんが床ゆかの上うえをいざって進すすんだ。
The baby shuffled along the floor on its bottom.

彼かれは足あしをけがして、いざるようにして部屋へやを出でた。

He injured his leg and crawled out of the room, dragging himself.

2

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

shift position (of an object); scoot over

usually written using kana alonedated term

Dated usage for an object moving slightly or being shifted, often unintentionally. Now rare; modern Japanese would more commonly use ずれる or 動く.

昔むかしの文ぶん章しょうでは、机つくえがいざるという表ひょう現げんが見みられる。
In old texts, you can find expressions like 'the desk shifts position' using いざる.

Written forms

いざるUsage83%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 躄る and 膝行る are rare and may not be recognized by many readers.
躄いざるUsage17%
Rare kanji spelling; the character 躄 is not in common use.
膝行いざる
Rare kanji spelling; literally 'knee-go', but not standard.

Kanji

躄crawl, cripple
膝knee, lap
行going, journey, carry out

Similar words

這はう
這う means to crawl on all fours or creep along a surface, while いざる specifically implies shuffling on one's bottom or knees without using hands and feet in a crawling motion.
ずれる
ずれる is the modern common word for something shifting out of place, whereas いざる in sense 2 is dated and rarely used today.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. It may be related to the classical verb いざる (to move while sitting), but the exact derivation is unclear.