Japanese word

凝る

Pronunciation

Romajikoru

Meaning

  • verbget stiff

Example

肩が凝ります。kata ga ko ri ma su

My shoulders get stiff.

Illustration for 凝る (get stiff)

More examples

長時間パソコンを使うと、肩が凝ります。chō ji kan pa so ko n o tsuka u to kata ga ko ri ma su

My shoulders get stiff when I use a computer for a long time.

Core concept

Expresses a movement toward firmness or concentrated involvement, from tense muscles to deep attention to a subject.

Common phrases

  • 肩が凝るkata ga ko ru

    have stiff shoulders

  • 首が凝るkubi ga ko ru

    have a stiff neck

Similar words

こわばるkowabaru: To become stiff and less easy to move, often because a muscle or body part is tense.
張るharu: To feel tight or swollen in a body part, especially around the shoulders.
硬直するkōchokusuru: To become rigid and lose normal flexibility, often throughout the body.

Definition in Japanese

筋肉などがこわばって硬くなること、また、細部に工夫を加えながら一つの物事に心を集中すること。kin niku na do ga ko wa ba tte kata ku na ru ko to ma ta sai bu ni ku fū o kuwa e na ga ra hito tsu no mono goto ni kokoro o shū chū su ru ko to

Word origin

The native verb 凝る (koru) may have developed from こごる (kogoru), an older word for becoming solid or congealed, although this etymology remains uncertain.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, 凝る (koru) changes to 凝ります (korimasu) in polite speech, while 凝っている (kotte iru) describes an ongoing state.

Other meanings

  • be particularverb
  • be absorbed in ___verb

Opposites

  • ほぐれるhogureruloosen upverb

Related words

  • 凝り性korishōbeing particularnoun
  • 凝りkoristiffnessnoun

Word lists with this word