Japanese word

ちぎる

Pronunciation

Romajichigiru

Meaning

  • verbtear up

Example

古い手紙をちぎります。furu i te gami o chi gi ri ma su

I tear up the old letter.

Illustration for ちぎる (tear up)

More examples

パンをちぎって、スープに浸します。pa n o chi gi tte sū pu ni hita shi ma su

I tear off pieces of bread and dip them in soup.

Core concept

Describes breaking a connected object into separate parts by using the hands to pull and tear it.

Common phrases

  • パンをちぎるpa n o chi gi ru

    tear bread

  • 紙を細かくちぎるkami o koma ka ku chi gi ru

    tear paper into small pieces

Similar words

破くyabuku: To damage or separate paper, cloth, or a similar material by tearing it.
裂くsaku: To split or open something by tearing it, often along a line or surface.
引き裂くhikisaku: To pull something apart with force, often creating a long or wide split.

Definition in Japanese

一つながりの物を手で引っ張って裂き、別々の部分にする。ichi tsu na ga ri no mono o te de hi ppa tte sa ki betsu betsu no bu bun ni su ru

Word origin

ちぎる (chigiru, "tear by hand") is a native Japanese verb with no certain compound-based origin, and 千切る (chigiru) is a conventional kanji spelling for the word.

Usage tips

  • The meaning of ちぎる (chigiru) is closer to tearing by hand than to cutting with scissors, so it fits actions such as tearing up a letter or tearing off a piece of bread.

Other meanings

  • tearverb
  • tear offverb

Opposites

Related words

  • ちぎりchigiritorn piecenoun

Word lists with this word