憑つく

つ

く

憑く · godan verb (-ku)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	憑つく	憑つかない
Polite	憑つきます	憑つきません
Past polite	憑つきました	憑つきませんでした
Past	憑ついた	憑つかなかった
Te-form	憑ついて	憑つかないで
Desire	憑つきたい	憑つきたくない
Potential	憑つける	憑つけない
Passive	憑つかれる	憑つかれない
Causative	憑つかせる	憑つかせない
Causative passive	憑つかせられるalso 憑つかされる	憑つかせられないalso 憑つかされない
Volitional	憑つこう
Polite volitional	憑つきましょう
Imperative	憑つけ	憑つくな
Conditional	憑つけば	憑つかなければ
Tara conditional	憑ついたら	憑つかなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb

possess; haunt

Used for spirits, ghosts, or supernatural entities taking control of a person or place. Often appears as ～に憑く.

Kanji

憑depend, rely, evidence

Related words

つまむN2
憑く is the general verb for a spirit possessing someone, while 摘む in its rare passive form つままれる specifically describes being bewitched or entranced, often by a fox.

Don't confuse with

憑ひょう依い
憑依 is the noun naming the phenomenon of possession, while 憑く is the verb meaning 'to be possessed', as in 霊が憑く.

Word family

憑つき物もの
evil spirit; possessing demon
物もの憑つき
spirit possession; possessed person · vessel for a spirit; mediumistic child or doll
犬いぬ憑つき
cynanthropy
狐きつね憑つき
fox possession; person possessed by a fox
取とり憑つく
possess; take hold of; haunt
悪あく魔ま憑つき
person possessed by an evil spirit; possession by an evil spirit

Written forms

憑つく
Standard kanji spelling for supernatural possession or haunting.
つくUsage100%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the supernatural nuance is clear from context.

Etymology

The kanji 憑 carries the meaning of 'to rely on' or 'to cling to,' which developed into the sense of a spirit attaching itself to a person. The reading つく is native Japanese and is shared with other verbs like 付く (to attach).