捻(ねじ)る

ねじる
verb (godan)
to twist; to wrench; to turn
1. to twist; to wrench
To apply rotational force to something, often forcefully.
腕(うで)を捻(ねじ)られて痛(いた)かった。
My arm was twisted and it hurt.
足首(あしくび)を捻(ねじ)ってしまった。
I twisted my ankle.
体(からだ)を捻(ねじ)って後(うし)ろを見(み)た。
I twisted my body and looked behind me.
2. to turn; to screw
To rotate something like a knob or cap.
蓋(ふた)を捻(ねじ)って開(あ)けた。
I twisted the lid to open it.
ダイヤルを右(みぎ)に捻(ねじ)る。
Turn the dial to the right.
水道(すいどう)の蛇口(じゃぐち)を捻(ねじ)って水(みず)を出(だ)した。
I turned the faucet and let the water run.
3. to distort; to twist (meaning)
To misrepresent or manipulate the meaning of something.
彼(かれ)は事実(じじつ)を捻(ねじ)って伝(つた)えた。
He distorted the facts when conveying them.
言葉(ことば)の意味(いみ)を捻(ねじ)って解釈(かいしゃく)した。
I twisted the meaning of the words in my interpretation.
真実(しんじつ)を捻(ねじ)曲(ま)げてはいけない。
You must not distort the truth.

捻(ねじ)る is a transitive verb (他動詞(たどうし)). The intransitive form is 捻(ねじ)れる (to be twisted).

ASPECT ({ている}):
The ている form indicates ongoing action or a resulting state (紐(ひも)が捻(ねじ)れている = 'the rope is twisted').

PARTICLE PATTERNS:

  • [object]を捻(ねじ)る (twist ~)

COMMON PATTERNS:

  • 腕(うで)を捻(ねじ)る (twist someone's arm)
  • 蓋(ふた)を捻(ねじ)る (twist a lid)
  • 首(くび)を捻(ねじ)る (tilt one's head in thought)
  • 事実(じじつ)を捻(ねじ)る (distort the facts)

RELATED:
The noun ねじ (screw) comes from the same root. 首(くび)を捻(ねじ)る is an idiom meaning to tilt one's head when puzzled or thinking.

Related Words

Pair verb: 捻(ねじ)れる (intransitive)
general
Added 2026.1.13 16:20 · Revised 2026.3.2 13:03
03500/03937_nejiru