こわばる

こ

わ

ば

る

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

こわばる · godan verb (-ru)

Meanings

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

usually written using kana alone

Describes muscles, body parts, or expressions becoming tense or rigid, often from cold, fear, or nervousness. Intransitive verb.

顔かおが強こわ張ばるone's face stiffens/tenses up
その知しらせを聞きいて、彼かの女じょの顔かおが強こわ張ばった。
Hearing the news, her face stiffened.
〈事こと〉で体からだが強こわ張ばるone's body stiffens because of something (fear, cold, etc.)
恐きょう怖ふで体からだが強こわ張ばって動うごけなかった。
My body froze stiff with fear and I couldn't move.
声こえが強こわ張ばるone's voice becomes tense/strained
緊きん張ちょうのせいで声こえが強こわ張ばってしまった。
My voice came out strained because of nervousness.
表ひょう情じょうが強こわ張ばるone's expression stiffens/becomes tense
面めん接せつ官かんの質しつ問もんに彼かれの表ひょう情じょうが強こわ張ばった。
His expression stiffened at the interviewer's question.

固かたまるN2
固まる describes a substance physically solidifying (liquid to solid), while 強張る describes muscles or an expression becoming tense and rigid, often from cold or emotion.
硬こう直ちょく
硬直する is a more formal, often clinical word (e.g. rigor mortis, severe muscle rigidity), while 強張る is the everyday word for a face or body tensing up.
緊きん張ちょうN4
緊張する describes the feeling of being nervous or tense in general, while 強張る specifically describes the visible physical stiffening (of a face, voice, or muscles) that can result from it.
引ひきつるN1
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.

緩ゆるむN1
緩む means to loosen or relax, the opposite of 強張る which means to stiffen or tense up.
ほぐれるN1
強張る means a muscle or expression becomes stiff and tense, the opposite of ほぐれる's sense of stiffness melting away.

怖こわがるN1
怖がる (to be scared) sounds very similar to 強張る (to stiffen) but describes an emotion rather than a physical state, though fear often causes the latter.

こわばるUsage72%
Usually written in kana. The kanji form 強張る is also used, but kana is more common.
強こわ張ばるUsage17%
Kanji form; less common than kana. The reading こわばる is standard.
強こわばるUsage11%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form; not commonly used.

The origin is uncertain. It may be related to こわい (strong, hard) and the verb-forming suffix ばる, but the exact derivation is unclear.