貫く (つらぬく, tsuranuku) Japanese meaning: pierce | Kotomora

貫つらぬく

つ

ら

ぬ

く

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

貫く · godan verb (-ku)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	貫つらぬく	貫つらぬかない
Polite	貫つらぬきます	貫つらぬきません
Past polite	貫つらぬきました	貫つらぬきませんでした
Past	貫つらぬいた	貫つらぬかなかった
Te-form	貫つらぬいて	貫つらぬかないで
Desire	貫つらぬきたい	貫つらぬきたくない
Potential	貫つらぬける	貫つらぬけない
Passive	貫つらぬかれる	貫つらぬかれない
Causative	貫つらぬかせる	貫つらぬかせない
Causative passive	貫つらぬかせられるalso 貫つらぬかされる	貫つらぬかせられないalso 貫つらぬかされない
Volitional	貫つらぬこう
Polite volitional	貫つらぬきましょう
Imperative	貫つらぬけ	貫つらぬくな
Conditional	貫つらぬけば	貫つらぬかなければ
Tara conditional	貫つらぬいたら	貫つらぬかなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-ku), transitive verb

pierce; penetrate; go through

Physical action of piercing or passing through something solid, such as a bullet through a wall or a needle through cloth.

弾だん丸がんが壁かべを貫

Kanji

貫pierce, 8 1/3lbs, penetrate

Related words· 9

通とおすN3
通す is the general verb for letting something pass through, while 貫く emphasizes forceful, complete penetration or unwavering persistence.
貫かん徹てつ sense 3
貫徹する is a formal word for carrying a plan or belief through to the end, closely matching 貫く's abstract sense but sounding more bureaucratic.
やり通とおすN1sense 3
やり通す means to see a task through to completion, similar to 貫く's abstract sense but focused on effort rather than principle.
突つき通とおす sense 1
突き通す specifically describes physically thrusting something all the way through an object, overlapping with 貫く's literal piercing sense.

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守まもるN3sense 3
守る means to protect or keep a promise/rule, while 貫く stresses sticking firmly to one's own principle or course of action despite opposition.
突つき抜ぬけるN1
貫く is transitive and often figurative (sticking to a belief or piercing something with an object), while 突き抜ける is intransitive and describes something itself breaking through a barrier.
貫かん通つう
貫通 is a noun/する-verb describing something passing completely through an object, while 貫く is the native verb for piercing or carrying something through, often used with more agentive or metaphorical force (信念を貫く).

Opposites

屈くっする sense 3
屈する means to yield or give in, the opposite of 貫く's sense of holding firm to one's beliefs against pressure.

Don't confuse with

貫かん通つう sense 1
貫通する shares the kanji 貫 and means to pierce through, but it is a technical/clinical term for physical penetration and lacks 貫く's abstract sense of persisting in a belief.
一いっ貫かんN1
貫く is a verb meaning to carry something through to the end (or physically pierce it), while 一貫 is a noun describing the quality of being consistent throughout.

Word family

貫つらぬき通とおす
pierce through; penetrate; go through · stick to; carry out; persist with; maintain
刺さし貫つらぬく
pierce through; stab through

Written forms

貫つらぬくUsage87%
Standard kanji spelling for all senses.
つらぬくUsage13%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially for abstract senses.

Etymology

The kanji 貫 combines 毌 (a string of coins) and 貝 (shell/money), originally meaning 'to string together' or 'to pass through'. The verb つらぬく is a native Japanese word with the same core meaning of piercing or passing through.

貫つらぬく

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions