くっつく

く

っ

つ

く

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

くっ付く · godan verb (-ku)

Meanings

godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb

usually written using kana alone

Physical sticking or clinging; used for objects, substances, or things that attach themselves to a surface or each other.

godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb

keep close to; stay near; tag along

usually written using kana alone

Describes a person or animal staying physically close to someone, often following them around.

godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb

usually written using kana alone

Used for people becoming close or inseparable in a social or romantic sense; can imply a slightly clingy or inseparable relationship.

〈物もの〉が〈物もの〉にくっ付つくfor one thing to stick to another
泥どろが靴くつにくっ付ついた。
Mud stuck to my shoes.
〈人ひと〉にくっ付ついて歩あるくto walk along tagging closely behind someone
子こ供どもは母はは親おやにくっ付ついて歩あるいた。
The child tagged along right behind his mother.
〈人ひと〉とくっ付つくto end up together (become a couple) with someone
あの二人ふたりはいつの間まにかくっ付ついていた。
Those two ended up as a couple before anyone noticed.

くっつけるN2
くっ付く is the intransitive form meaning 'to stick/cling to something', while くっ付ける is the transitive form meaning 'to attach something'.

付つくN4sense 1
付く is the broad, neutral verb for something becoming attached, while くっ付く is a colloquial, more emphatic way of saying the same thing.
張はり付つく sense 1
貼り付く emphasizes sticking flat and firmly (like paper or a sticker), whereas くっ付く is more general and can describe any kind of clinging or attaching.
密みっ着ちゃく sense 1
密着する is a formal, technical term for close physical adhesion or contact, while くっ付く is the everyday, casual equivalent.
まとわりつく sense 2
纏わりつく specifically describes clinging or hovering persistently around a person (often with an annoying nuance), while くっ付く can simply mean staying close without that negative feel.

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引ひっ付つくN1
くっつく is the more common, everyday word for sticking or getting close, while 引っ付く carries a stronger sense of persistent or tight attachment.
寄より添そうN1
くっつく is more casual and physical, implying sticking or clinging closely, often with less emotional nuance than 寄り添う.

離はなれるN3sense 1
離れる means to separate or move away, the opposite of くっ付く's meaning of sticking or staying close.
剥はがれる
くっつく means to stick to or attach onto something, the opposite of 剥がれる, which means to peel or come off.

くっ付つくUsage3%
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling; it is the highest-priority form.
くっつくUsage97%
Kana-only spelling is very common and matches usual-kana usage.
食くっ付つく
Rare kanji spelling using 食; lists it without a high priority.

Developed through contraction of 食い付く, “to bite onto, cling to,” producing the colloquial form くっ付く.