Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
めくる (mekuru) Japanese meaning: turn over | Kotomora
Common word› JLPT N1 › Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Conjugation めくる · godan verb (-ru)
Form Positive Negative Dictionary めくる めくらない Polite めくります めくりません Past polite めくりました めくりませんでした Past めくった めくらなかった Te-form めくって めくらないで Desire めくりたい めくりたくない Potential めくれる めくれない Passive めくられる めくられない Causative めくらせる めくらせない Causative passive めくらせられる also めくらされる めくらせられない also めくらされない Volitional めくろう Polite volitional めくりましょう Imperative めくれ めくるな Conditional めくれば めくらなければ Tara conditional めくったら めくらなかったら
Pairs with めくれる › Report an issue with this page
I turn the pages of a book.
Please turn over one card.
Usage patterns 〈 物もの 〉 のページをめくる to turn the pages of a book, magazine, etc.
She slowly turned the pages of the magazine.
布ふ 団とん をめくる to pull back the covers or a blanket
My mother pulled back the covers to wake her child.
カードをめくる to turn over a card, as in a card game
I turned over the next card to test my luck.
〈 物もの 〉 をぱらぱらとめくる to flip quickly through pages
When I have free time, I spend it flipping quickly through a magazine.
Expressions スカートめくり lifting a girl's skirt; flipping up a skirt Transitive / intransitive Related words はがす means to carefully peel off something that is stuck on, like tape or a sticker, while 捲る (めくる) in its tearing sense implies a rougher, quicker pulling or flipping action.
剥ぐ means to forcefully strip or peel off a covering such as skin or bark, whereas 捲る (めくる) is used more broadly for flipping or tearing off flat things like blankets or paper.
めくる is the common, casual verb for flipping a page or turning something over, while 繰る sounds more literary and also covers consulting a dictionary or reference book.
めくる specifically means to flip or turn a page or card by lifting it, while 返す is a broader verb that can also mean to flip something over completely.
Don't confuse with 捲る (めくる) is the transitive verb meaning to turn over or tear off something, while 捲れる (めくれる) is its intransitive partner, meaning something turns up or comes loose on its own.
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.
Written forms めくる Usage 96%
Kana spelling is standard; the kanji 捲る is rare and may be confused with other readings.
捲めく る Usage 4%
Kanji form is uncommon and can be misread; use kana in most contexts.
Etymology The origin is uncertain; it may be related to the mimetic root めく (as in めくめく, describing something turning or flipping). The kanji 捲 is used for its meaning of 'roll up' or 'turn over', but the word is native Japanese.