Japanese word

毟る

Pronunciation

Romajimushiru

Meaning

  • verbpull out

Example

花壇の雑草を一本ずつ毟ります。ka dan no zas sō o ichi pon zu tsu mushi ri ma su

I pull out the weeds in the flower bed one by one.

Illustration for 毟る (pull out)

More examples

庭の石の間に生えた草を毟ります。niwa no ishi no aida ni ha e ta kusa o mushi ri ma su

I pull out the grass growing between the garden stones.

Core concept

Describes removing weeds, hairs, feathers, or similar parts by pinching and pulling them away one at a time.

Common phrases

  • 雑草を毟るzas sō o mushi ru

    pull out weeds

  • 草を毟るkusa o mushi ru

    pull out grass

Similar words

抜くnuku: To pull something out of a place where it is fixed, such as a plant or a tooth.
むしり取るmushiritoru: To tear something away by pulling it roughly, often removing it in pieces.
摘むtsumu: To remove a small part by pinching it between the fingers.

Definition in Japanese

草や毛などを指先でつまみ、一本ずつ引き抜いたり、ちぎり取ったりする。kusa ya ke na do o yubi saki de tsu ma mi ichi pon zu tsu hi ki nu i ta ri chi gi ri to tta ri su ru

Word origin

The native Japanese verb 毟る (mushiru) is written with the Japanese-made character 毟 (mushiru, "pluck"), which combines 少 (shō, "few") and 毛 (mō, "hair").

Usage tips

  • The English verb pluck also appears in the idiom "pluck up courage," where it means gather courage rather than remove something, unlike 毟る (mushiru).

Other meanings

  • pluckverb
  • tearverb

Word lists with this word