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気が引ける (kigahikeru) Japanese meaning: feel awkward | Kotomora
JLPT N1 › Conjugation 気が引ける · ichidan verb
Form Positive Negative Dictionary 気き が 引ひ ける 気き が 引ひ けない Polite 気き が 引ひ けます 気き が 引ひ けません Past polite 気き が 引ひ けました 気き が 引ひ けませんでした Past 気き が 引ひ けた 気き が 引ひ けなかった Te-form 気き が 引ひ けて 気き が 引ひ けないで Desire 気き が 引ひ けたい 気き が 引ひ けたくない Potential 気き が 引ひ けられる also 気き が 引ひ けれる 気き が 引ひ けられない also 気き が 引ひ けれない Passive 気き が 引ひ けられる 気き が 引ひ けられない Causative 気き が 引ひ けさせる 気き が 引ひ けさせない Causative passive 気き が 引ひ けさせられる 気き が 引ひ けさせられない Volitional 気き が 引ひ けよう Polite volitional 気き が 引ひ けましょう Imperative 気き が 引ひ けろ 気き が 引ひ けるな Conditional 気き が 引ひ ければ 気き が 引ひ けなければ Tara conditional 気き が 引ひ けたら 気き が 引ひ けなかったら
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I feel shy about talking to someone I'm meeting for the first time.
Everyone seemed busy, so I felt awkward asking for help.
Kanji 退 retreat, withdraw, retire Related words 遠慮する is a conscious act of holding back out of politeness, while 気が引ける describes an involuntary feeling of awkwardness that makes one hesitate.
心苦しい emphasizes a pang of guilt or sorry feeling toward someone, whereas 気が引ける is broader and can also stem from shyness or a sense of inferiority.
後ろめたい specifically conveys guilt over having done something wrong, while 気が引ける is a milder hesitation that need not involve wrongdoing.
恥ずかしい is a general adjective meaning 'embarrassing' or 'shy', while 気が引ける specifically points to the reluctance that embarrassment or a sense of imposing causes.
Don't confuse with 気にする means to worry about or mind something, whereas 気が引ける means to feel too self-conscious or hesitant to act, despite the similar-looking 気 phrasing.
気が引ける means 'to feel hesitant or awkward (about doing something)', the opposite feeling from 気が置けない, which describes total ease with someone—learners often confuse the two because both start with 気が.
Written forms 気き が 引ひ ける
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling.
気き がひける
Kana spelling of 引ける; common in everyday writing.
気き が 退ひ ける
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 退ける is an uncommon spelling for this expression.
Etymology The expression combines 気 (spirit, mind) with 引ける (to pull back, to be daunted), literally meaning 'one's spirit pulls back'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it has been used idiomatically since at least the Edo period.
