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かじる Japanese meaning | Kotomora

かじる

か

じ

る

JLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

gnaw; nibble; bite; munch; crunch

usually written using kana alone

Describes biting off small pieces of something hard or tough, such as an apple, a bone, or a pencil. Often implies a repetitive, rodent-like action.

りんごを丸まるごとかじる。
I bite into a whole apple.

犬いぬ

が

骨ほね

を

かじっ

て

いる

。

The dog is gnawing on a bone.

2

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

dabble in; have a smattering of; know a little about

usually written using kana alone

Metaphorical extension of the gnawing sense: to have only superficial knowledge of a subject, often used with fields of study or hobbies. Implies a lack of deep commitment.

大だい学がくでフランス語ごを少すこしかじった。
I dabbled a bit in French at university.
彼かれはいろんな学がく問もんをかじっているが、どれも中ちゅう途と半はん端ぱだ。
He dabbles in various fields of study, but he hasn't mastered any of them.

Written forms

かじるUsage81%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 齧る, 囓る, and 噛る are rare and may not be recognized by all readers.
齧かじるUsage16%
Rare kanji form; the character 齧 is not in the Jōyō kanji list.
囓かじるUsage4%
Rare kanji form; the character 囓 is not in the Jōyō kanji list.
噛かじる
Rare kanji form; 噛 is more commonly read as かむ.

Kanji

齧gnaw, nibble, munch
囓gnaw
噛chew, bite, gnaw

Similar words

噛かむ
噛む means to bite or chew in general, often with a stronger, more decisive action. かじる specifically implies nibbling or gnawing at something hard, or metaphorically, dabbling.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. It may be related to the mimetic word かじかじ (representing a gnawing sound) or to the verb かむ (to bite). The kanji 齧 is a Chinese character meaning 'to gnaw' and was assigned to this word based on meaning.