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開き直る (ひらきなおる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
become defiant ; turn aggressive ; take the offensive
Describes a sudden shift in attitude from defensive or cornered to boldly confrontational, often after being criticized or caught. Implies a psychological switch rather than a planned strategy.
もう
開ひら
き
直なお
っ
て
、
自じ
分ぶん
の
意い
見けん
を
はっきり
言い
う
こと
に
し
た
。
I decided to stop being defensive and clearly state my own opinion.
Written forms 開ひら き 直なお る Usage 89%
Standard kanji spelling; high frequency in news and common usage.
開ひら きなおる Usage 6%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form; not a standard spelling.
ひらきなおる Usage 5%
Kanji 直 straightaway, honesty, frankness Similar words 逆ぎゃく ギレ 逆ギレ is more colloquial and implies an angry, often irrational outburst when one is in the wrong, while 開き直る can be a calmer, more deliberate shift to a bold stance.
ふてぶてしい ふてぶてしい is an adjective describing a brazen, shameless attitude as a character trait, whereas 開き直る is a verb focusing on the moment of changing to such an attitude.
Etymology Compound of 開く (hiraku, 'to open') and 直る (naoru, 'to be corrected/fixed'). The meaning 'to become defiant' likely derives from the idea of 'opening up' one's true, unapologetic self after a correction or confrontation, though the exact semantic shift is uncertain.
