引ひきつる

ひ

き

つ

る

引きつる · godan verb (-ru)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	引ひきつる	引ひきつらない
Polite	引ひきつります	引ひきつりません
Past polite	引ひきつりました	引ひきつりませんでした
Past	引ひきつった	引ひきつらなかった
Te-form	引ひきつって	引ひきつらないで
Desire	引ひきつりたい	引ひきつりたくない
Potential	引ひきつれる	引ひきつれない
Passive	引ひきつられる	引ひきつられない
Causative	引ひきつらせる	引ひきつらせない
Causative passive	引ひきつらせられるalso 引ひきつらされる	引ひきつらせられないalso 引ひきつらされない
Volitional	引ひきつろう
Polite volitional	引ひきつりましょう
Imperative	引ひきつれ	引ひきつるな
Conditional	引ひきつれば	引ひきつらなければ
Tara conditional	引ひきつったら	引ひきつらなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

cramp; twitch; spasm

Describes involuntary muscle contractions, such as a cramp in the leg or a twitching eyelid.

運うん動どう中ちゅうにふくらはぎが引ひきつった。
My calf cramped up during exercise.
緊きん張ちょうするとまぶたが引ひきつることがある。
My eyelid sometimes twitches when I'm nervous.

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

stiffen; freeze; tighten

Used for a face, expression, or voice becoming tense or rigid, often from shock, fear, or nervousness.

突とつ然ぜんの知しらせに彼かの女じょの顔かおが引ひきつった。
Her face stiffened at the sudden news.
声こえが引ひきつってうまく話はなせなかった。
My voice grew tight and I couldn't speak properly.

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

shrink; tauten

Describes skin pulling tight or puckering, often due to a scar or burn healing.

やけどの跡あとが引ひきつって皮ひ膚ふがつっぱる。
The burn scar has shrunk and the skin feels tight.

See all 21 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉が引ひきつるfor a body part to cramp or spasm
急きゅうに足あしがひきつって、動うごけなくなった。
My leg suddenly cramped up and I couldn't move.
顔かおが引ひきつるfor one's face to stiffen or freeze (from shock or fear)
恐おそろしい話はなしを聞きいて、彼かれの顔かおが引ひきつった。
His face froze in fear when he heard the terrifying story.
傷きず跡あとが引ひきつるfor a scar to pull tight or pucker
やけどの傷きず跡あとが引ひきつって、動うごかしにくい。
The burn scar has tightened up, making it hard to move.
笑わらいが引ひきつるfor one's smile to become forced and strained
彼かの女じょの笑わらいが引ひきつっているのが分わかった。
I could tell her smile was strained and forced.
声こえが引ひきつるfor one's voice to tighten with tension or fear
緊きん張ちょうのせいで声こえが引ひきつってしまった。
My voice tightened up because of nervousness.

Kanji

引pull, tug, jerk
攣crooked, bent

Related words

鶴つるN1sense 1
つる is the shorter, everyday verb for a sudden muscle cramp (足がつった), while 引きつる sounds more descriptive and can imply a more prolonged or visible spasm.
こわばるN1sense 2
こわばる describes a face or body going stiff and rigid, often from cold or nervousness, while 引きつる emphasizes an actual pulling or spasmodic tightness in the expression.
痙けい攣れんN1sense 1
痙攣する is a more formal, medical term for muscle spasms, while 引きつる is the everyday word used for the same involuntary twitching.

Opposites

緩ゆるむN1sense 2
緩む means to loosen or relax, the opposite of 引きつる's sense of a face or muscle tightening up with tension.

Don't confuse with

引ひき付つけるN1
引きつける looks and sounds similar but means 'to attract' or 'to have a seizure/fit', a completely different meaning from 引きつる's sense of a muscle or face twitching and tightening.

Word family

引ひきつり
scar; cicatrix · spasm; twitch; cramp

Written forms

引ひきつるUsage47%
Standard common spelling with okurigana.
ひきつるUsage45%
引ひき攣つるUsage8%
Full kanji form using 攣; less common and may be unfamiliar to some readers.

Etymology

Compound of 引き (hiki, continuative form of 引く 'to pull') and つる (to cramp, to tighten). The exact origin of つる is uncertain, but it is a native Japanese verb related to pulling or contracting.