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引っ張りだこ (ひっぱりだこ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

引ひっ張ぱりだこ

ひ

っ

ぱ

り

だ

こ

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

being very popular; in great demand

Describes a person or thing that is highly sought after, like a popular entertainer or a hot product. Often used in the phrase 引っ張りだこになる.

彼かの女じょは今いま、テレビに引ひっ張ぱりだこだ。
She is in great demand on TV right now.
この新しん製せい品ひんは引ひっ張ぱりだこで、すぐ

に

売う

り

切き

れ

た

。

This new product was so popular it sold out immediately.

2

noun

octopus dried on skewers

food / cooking

A food item: octopus that has been boiled and dried while stretched on skewers. This is the literal origin of the word, but the figurative sense is far more common.

お土産みやげに引ひっ張ぱりだこを買かった。
I bought some dried skewered octopus as a souvenir.

Written forms

引ひっ張ぱりだこ
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling; the most common written form.
引ひっ張ぱり凧だこ
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form using 凧 for だこ; not commonly used.
引ひっ張ぱり蛸だこ
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form using 蛸 for だこ; not commonly used.

Kanji

引pull, tug, jerk
張counter for bows & stringed instruments, stretch, spread
凧kite, (kokuji)
蛸octopus

Similar words

人にん気き者もの
人気者 means a popular person, while 引っ張りだこ emphasizes being actively sought after or in high demand, often by many parties.
売うれっ子こ
売れっ子 is used specifically for popular entertainers or professionals who are in demand, similar to 引っ張りだこ but more limited to people in show business or similar fields.

Etymology

Literally 'pulled octopus', from the image of dried octopus stretched on skewers. The figurative sense of being in great demand comes from the idea of being pulled in many directions by people wanting one's attention or services.