まくる

ま

く

る

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

まくる · godan verb (-ru)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	まくる	まくらない
Polite	まくります	まくりません
Past polite	まくりました	まくりませんでした
Past	まくった	まくらなかった
Te-form	まくって	まくらないで
Desire	まくりたい	まくりたくない
Potential	まくれる	まくれない
Passive	まくられる	まくられない
Causative	まくらせる	まくらせない
Causative passive	まくらせられるalso まくらされる	まくらせられないalso まくらされない
Volitional	まくろう
Polite volitional	まくりましょう
Imperative	まくれ	まくるな
Conditional	まくれば	まくらなければ
Tara conditional	まくったら	まくらなかったら

Pairs withめくれる

Meanings

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

turn up; roll up; pull up

usually written using kana alone

Transitive use for turning, pulling, or rolling something upward or back, such as sleeves, a hem, or a covering.

手てを洗あらう前まえに袖そでをまくった。
I rolled up my sleeves before washing my hands.
暑あついのでシャツの袖そでをまくった。
I rolled up my shirt sleeves because it was hot.

auxiliary verb, godan verb (-ru)

do over and over; do relentlessly; do with abandon

usually written using kana alone

Auxiliary verb attached to another verb's stem, as in 見まくる or 買いまくる. It sounds casual and often implies excessive, energetic, or unchecked repetition.

週しゅう末まつは映えい画がを見みまくった。
I watched movies nonstop over the weekend.
セールで服ふくを買かいまくった。
I bought clothes like crazy at the sale.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

come from behind; overtake; stage a comeback

slangusually written using kana alone

Slang or game/betting jargon, especially in contexts such as mahjong or racing, for overtaking a leading opponent from behind.

彼かれはオーラスでトップをまくった。
He overtook the leader in the final mahjong hand.

See all 71 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉をまくるto roll up something (e.g. sleeves, a hem)
暑あつかったので袖そでをまくった。
It was hot, so I rolled up my sleeves.
〈動どう詞し〉まくるto do something over and over with abandon
昨日きのうは飲のみまくった。
I drank like crazy yesterday.
〈相あい手て〉をまくるto overtake an opponent from behind
最さい終しゅうラップで首しゅ位いをまくった。
He overtook the leader on the final lap.

Grammar

まくるdo like mad; over and overN1

Kanji

捲roll, wind, coil

Transitive / intransitive

めくれる sense 1
捲る is the transitive verb for rolling something up, while 捲れる is the intransitive verb describing something becoming rolled up or flipped up on its own.

Related words

続つづけるN4sense 2
続ける is the neutral way to say 'keep doing something', while verb-stem + 捲る (as in 買いまくる) is casual and stresses doing it excessively or with abandon.
掲かかげるN2
まくる is the everyday verb for rolling up sleeves or clothing, whereas 掲げる in this sense is rarer and more literary.

Opposites

下おろすN4sense 1
下ろす means to let down or lower something such as a sleeve, the opposite action to 捲る's meaning of rolling something up.

Don't confuse with

めくるN1sense 1
めくる means to flip or turn over something flat like a page, while 捲る means to roll or push something upward such as a sleeve or hem.
巻まくN3sense 1
巻く means to wind or wrap something around, whereas 捲る means to roll or turn something upward, so the two sound alike but describe different motions.

Word family

まくり
unframed painting; unframed drawing · overtaking on the outside (keirin)
やりまくり
doing something repeatedly; doing something a lot · having sex repeatedly; sleeping around
やりまくる
do over and over; do repeatedly · have sex repeatedly; sleep around

Written forms

まくるUsage97%
Kana spelling is preferred for all senses, especially the auxiliary use after another verb.
捲まくるUsage3%
Attested kanji spelling; most natural for the literal sense of turning or rolling something up. The kana spelling is much more common for the auxiliary and slang uses.

Etymology

Native Japanese verb. The kanji 捲 is conventionally associated with rolling or turning something up; the exact historical development of the auxiliary and slang extensions is uncertain.