こじる

こ

じ

る

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

こじる · godan verb (-ru)

Meanings

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

pry open; wrench open

usually written using kana alone

Describes forcing something open by twisting or leveraging, often with a tool. Commonly used for lids, doors, or stuck objects.

〈物もの〉で〈物もの〉をこじるto pry something open using a tool
ドライバーで缶かんのふたをこじった。
I pried open the can lid with a screwdriver.
〈物もの〉をこじって開あけるto force something open by prying/wrenching
鍵かぎがなくてもドアをこじって開あけた。
Even without a key, he pried the door open.

こじ開あける
こじ開ける is the everyday compound verb meaning 'to pry open,' while 抉る (こじる) is the plain base verb that often appears inside such compounds rather than alone.

えぐる
抉る written the same way is usually read えぐる and means 'to gouge/scoop out' (e.g. a wound or a painful truth), a quite different sense from 抉る read こじる, 'to pry/wrench open.'

こじるUsage100%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 抉る is rare and may not be recognized by all readers.
抉こじる
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form こじる is strongly preferred in modern usage.

The origin is uncertain. It may be related to the mimetic word こじこじ (prying or twisting), but the exact derivation is unclear.