ひねる

ひ

ね

る

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

ひねる · godan verb (-ru)

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

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

twist; turn; wrench

usually written using kana alone

General physical twisting or turning of objects, such as a tap, switch, or lid.

蛇じゃ口ぐちをひねって水みずを出だす。
Turn the tap to let the water out.
瓶びんのふたをひねって開あける。
Twist the bottle cap to open it.

2

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

twist (a body part); bend; sprain

usually written using kana alone

Used for twisting or wrenching a body part, often resulting in a sprain.

転ころんで足あし首くびをひねった。
I fell and twisted my ankle.
首くびをひねって後うしろを見みる。
Twist your neck to look behind.

3

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

strangle; wring (a neck)

usually written using kana alone

Specifically for twisting or wringing an animal's neck to kill it, or strangling someone.

鶏にわとりの首くびをひねる。
Wring a chicken's neck.

4

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

defeat easily; beat

usually written using kana alone

Figurative use meaning to defeat an opponent effortlessly, as if twisting them.

強つよい相あい手てをひねって勝かった。
We beat a strong opponent easily.

5

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

make intricate; complicate; make peculiar

usually written using kana alone

Used for deliberately making a problem, design, or idea more complicated or unusual than necessary.

彼かれはいつも話はなしをひねってわかりにくくする。
He always twists his stories and makes them hard to understand.

6

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

compose (a haiku, song, etc.) with effort

usually written using kana alone

Implies managing to create a poem or song by putting in effort and ingenuity, often with a sense of struggling to produce something.

一ひと晩ばんかけて俳はい句くをひねった。
I spent the whole night composing a haiku.

7

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

wrap (a monetary gift) in paper

usually written using kana alonedated term

Dated term for wrapping money in paper, typically as a gift.

昔むかしはお金かねを紙かみにひねって渡わたしたものだ。
In the old days, people used to wrap money in paper and hand it over.

See all 72 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉を捻ひねるto turn/twist something (a tap, dial, switch, etc.)
蛇じゃ口ぐちを捻ひねってお湯を出だした。
I turned the tap to get hot water.
〈人ひと〉が足あしを捻ひねるfor someone to sprain/twist their foot
階かい段だんで転ころんで足あしを捻ひねってしまった。
I fell on the stairs and sprained my foot.
捻ひねった〈物もの〉a deliberately tricky or unusual (thing)
先せん生せいはいつも捻ひねった問もん題だいを出だす。
The teacher always gives tricky, convoluted questions.
〈相あい手て〉を捻ひねるto defeat an opponent easily
決けっ勝しょうで相あい手てを捻ひねり、優ゆう勝しょうを手てにした。
He easily beat his opponent in the final and won the championship.
一いっ句く捻ひねるto work out and compose a haiku (with some effort)
散さん歩ぽの途と中ちゅうで一いっ句く捻ひねってみた。
I tried composing a haiku during my walk.

Expressions

頭あたまを捻ひねるpuzzle over; rack one's brains; think deeply about

Kanji

捻twirl, twist, play with
拈twirl, twist, twiddle
撚twist, twine, kinky

Related words

ねじるN2sense 1
捻る is generally lighter and more common for everyday turning or twisting, while ねじる implies a stronger, more forceful twisting action, like screwing or wringing.
こねる sense 5
捻る can mean to deliberately make an idea or design intricate, while こねる specifically means to knead dough or, figuratively, to make an argument needlessly convoluted (理屈をこねる).
絞しめる sense 3
捻る (sense 3) means to twist and wring a neck to kill, while 絞める means to squeeze or choke with the hands, a rope, or similar.
負まかすN2sense 4
捻る (sense 4) suggests defeating an opponent almost effortlessly, while 負かす is the plain, neutral verb for beating someone in a contest.
詠よむN1sense 6
捻る (sense 6) implies straining one's ingenuity to produce a poem, while 詠む is the neutral verb for composing or reciting waka and haiku.

Don't confuse with

弄いじるN1sense 1
捻る means to twist or turn something with deliberate force, while いじる means to fiddle or tinker with something casually, without necessarily twisting it.

Word family· 11

ひねり
twist; spin · ingenuity; sophistication; taste · monetary offering wrapped in paper · twisting throw (sumo)
捻ひねり出だす
work out; think up; devise; come up with · scrape together; manage to find (money, time, etc.)
おひねり
monetary gift wrapped in paper; paper-wrapped money offering
捻ひねり手て
twisting techniques
腕捻かいなひねり
two-handed arm twist down

Show 6 more

首くび捻ひねり
head-twisting throw
上うわ手て捻ひねり
overarm twisting throw
下した手て捻ひねり
twisting underarm throw
合がっ掌しょう捻ひねり
clasped-hand twist down
小こ手て捻ひねり
arm-locking twist down
捻ひねり潰つぶす
pinch and crush; crush by twisting

Written forms

ひねるUsage84%
Kana spelling is strongly preferred in modern usage.
捻ひねるUsage16%
Standard kanji form, but the word is usually written in kana.
拈ひねるUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
撚ひねる
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain, but it is a native Japanese verb. The kanji 捻 is used for its meaning of 'twist'.