こだわる

こ

だ

わ

る

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

こだわる · godan verb (-ru)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	こだわる	こだわらない
Polite	こだわります	こだわりません
Past polite	こだわりました	こだわりませんでした
Past	こだわった	こだわらなかった
Te-form	こだわって	こだわらないで
Desire	こだわりたい	こだわりたくない
Potential	こだわれる	こだわれない
Passive	こだわられる	こだわられない
Causative	こだわらせる	こだわらせない
Causative passive	こだわらせられるalso こだわらされる	こだわらせられないalso こだわらされない
Volitional	こだわろう
Polite volitional	こだわりましょう
Imperative	こだわれ	こだわるな
Conditional	こだわれば	こだわらなければ
Tara conditional	こだわったら	こだわらなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

be obsessive; fuss over; be hung up on

usually written using kana alone

Often negative: worrying too much or being overly fixated on details, rules, or trivial matters. Commonly used with ～にこだわる.

彼かれは細こまかいことにこだわりすぎる。
He is too hung up on small details.
そんな小ちいさなミスにこだわらなくてもいいよ。
You don't have to fuss over such a small mistake.

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

be particular about; insist on; be fastidious

usually written using kana alone

Positive or neutral nuance: paying careful attention to quality, authenticity, or one's standards. Often used with ～にこだわる.

彼かの女じょは食しょく材ざいの鮮せん度どにこだわっている。
She is particular about the freshness of ingredients.
この店みせはサービスにこだわっている。
This shop insists on good service.

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

get stuck; be obstructed

dated termusually written using kana alone

Dated, physical sense: something becomes stuck or blocked. Rare in modern usage; replaced by 引っかかる or つかえる.

古ふるい文ぶん献けんでは、車くるまが泥どろにこだわると記しるされている。
In old documents, it is written that the cart gets stuck in the mud.

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Usage patterns

〈事こと〉にこだわるto fuss over/be hung up on a particular point
彼かれは細こまかいことにこだわる性せい格かくだ。
He has a personality that fusses over small details.
〈物もの〉の味あじにこだわるto be particular about the taste/quality of something
このパン屋やは素そ材ざいの味あじにこだわっている。
This bakery is particular about the flavor of its ingredients.
〈事こと〉にこだわらずwithout being bound by/fixated on something
経けい験けんにこだわらず、やる気きのある人ひとを採さい用ようしたい。
I want to hire motivated people, regardless of experience.

Kanji

拘arrest, seize, concerned

Related words· 7

気きにするN3sense 1
気にする is a general 'to mind/worry about' something, while 拘る implies a stronger, more stubborn fixation on a particular point.
重じゅう視しN3sense 2
重視する means to place importance on something in a neutral, businesslike way, while 拘る (positive sense) suggests personal pickiness or devotion to quality.
執しゅう着ちゃくN1sense 1
執着する is a more formal, often psychological term for being unable to let go of something, whereas 拘る is the everyday word for fussing over details.
固こ執しつN1sense 1
固執する stresses stubbornly clinging to one's own opinion or method, while 拘る can also describe fixating on trivial external details.

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捕とらわれるN1
こだわる describes being fixated or particular about something, while 捕らわれる (metaphorical sense) implies being trapped or dominated by an idea or emotion, often negatively.
凝こるN2
拘る focuses on being picky or sticking to a particular standard, often with a nuance of stubbornness, while 凝る emphasizes elaborate craftsmanship or careful attention to detail.
関かかわるN2
こだわる is the common reading and usage for 'being particular about something,' while 関わる with the same kanji 拘る in this sense is less frequent and more formal.

Opposites

妥だ協きょうN1sense 2
妥協する means to compromise or settle, the opposite of 拘る's sense of insisting on one's own standard.

Don't confuse with

関かかわるN2
関わる (かかわる, 'to be involved/related to') looks similar in kanji to 拘る (こだわる, 'to be hung up on') but has a completely different reading and meaning.

Word family

こだわりN2
obsession; fixation; fastidiousness; pickiness · complaining; criticizing · speciality; signature item

Written forms

こだわるUsage99%
Usually written in kana. The kanji forms 拘る and 拘わる exist but are less common.
拘こだわるUsage1%
Kanji form; less common than kana. May be encountered in formal or literary writing.
拘こだわる
Rare kanji variant with okurigana わる.

Etymology

Originally meant 'to get stuck' physically. The modern psychological sense of 'being fixated' developed from that idea of being unable to move past something. The exact derivation is uncertain.