惹ひかれる

ひ

か

れ

る

Common wordJLPTN1

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

be attracted to; be charmed by; be drawn to

Describes a feeling of being emotionally or instinctively drawn to someone or something. Often used with に (〜に惹かれる). The subject is the person who feels the attraction.

彼かれの優やさしい性せい格かくに惹ひかれた。
I was attracted to his kind personality.
この絵えの色しき彩さいに強つよく惹

ひ

か

れる

。

I'm strongly drawn to the colors in this painting.

Written forms

惹ひかれる
Standard kanji spelling for 'to be attracted/charmed'. The kanji 惹 carries the nuance of 'attract/captivate'.
引ひかれる
Common alternative spelling. 引 is a general kanji for 'pull', so this form can also mean 'to be pulled' physically; context usually disambiguates.
魅ひかれる
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage. 魅 is normally read み, as in 魅力. This spelling is occasionally seen but not standard.

Kanji

惹attract, captivate
引pull, tug, jerk
魅fascination, charm, bewitch

Similar words

引ひく
The base transitive verb meaning 'to pull'. 惹かれる is its passive form used idiomatically for emotional attraction, not physical pulling.
魅み了りょうする
Means 'to fascinate/captivate' and is more intense and often used for things that completely capture one's attention. 惹かれる is a softer, more personal feeling of being drawn to something.

Etymology

The passive form of 引く (hiku, 'to pull'), used idiomatically to mean 'to be pulled (emotionally)'. The kanji 惹 is specifically associated with this emotional sense.