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人懐っこい (ひとなつっこい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
JLPT N3 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
i-adjective
friendly ; sociable ; affectionate (toward people)
Describes a person or animal that is naturally warm, approachable, and enjoys being around people. Often used for children or pets who are not shy with strangers.
この 猫ねこ は 人ひと 懐なつ っこく て 、 知し ら ない 人ひと に も すぐ 寄よ っ て いく 。
This cat is very sociable and will approach even strangers right away.
Written forms 人ひと 懐なつ っこい
Standard kanji spelling with the common reading ひとなつっこい.
人ひと なつっこい
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; common in everyday writing.
人ひと 懐なつ こい
Less common variant without the geminate consonant; reading ひとなつこい.
人ひと なつこい
Mixed kana-kanji variant without the geminate consonant; reading ひとなつこい.
ひとなつこい
Similar words 社しゃ 交こう 的てき 社交的 is more about being socially active and outgoing in group settings, while 人懐っこい emphasizes a warm, affectionate openness to individuals.
愛あい 想そ がいい 愛想がいい describes someone who is pleasant and polite in social interactions, often with a nuance of being sociable out of courtesy. 人懐っこい implies a more genuine, instinctive friendliness.
Etymology Compound of 人 (ひと, 'person') + 懐っこい (なつっこい), an emphatic or colloquial variant of 懐かしい (なつかしい, 'nostalgic, dear'). The root なつく means 'to become attached to', so the word literally suggests 'easily attached to people'.
