煽(あお)る

あおる
godan verb
to fan; to incite; to tailgate
1. to fan; to flap
to create airflow by fanning something
うちわで火(ひ)を煽(あお)る。
Fan the fire with a fan.
風(かぜ)がカーテンを煽(あお)った。
The wind flapped the curtains.
2. to incite; to stir up; to provoke
to encourage or provoke someone to take action, often negative
メディアが不安(ふあん)を煽(あお)っている。
The media is inciting anxiety.
SNSで対立(たいりつ)を煽(あお)るのはやめよう。
Let's stop stirring up conflict on social media.
3. to tailgate
to drive aggressively close behind another vehicle
後(うし)ろの車(くるま)に煽(あお)られた。
I was tailgated by the car behind me.
煽(あお)り運転(うんてん)は危険(きけん)だ。
Aggressive tailgating is dangerous.

煽(あお)る has three main meanings: physical fanning, inciting emotions/actions, and aggressive driving.

VERB TYPE:

  • Godan verb (る-verb with ら-row conjugation)
  • Transitive

KANJI NOTE:

  • 煽(あお)る uses 煽(あお) (fan, incite)
  • Often written in hiragana in casual contexts

SENSE 1 (FANNING):

  • Physical action of creating airflow
  • Common with fire, fans, curtains

SENSE 2 (INCITING):

  • Very common in news and social media contexts
  • Usually negative connotation
  • Common objects: 不安(ふあん) (anxiety), 対立(たいりつ) (conflict), 感情(かんじょう) (emotions)

SENSE 3 (TAILGATING):

  • Modern driving-related usage
  • 煽(あお)り運転(うんてん) (tailgating, aggressive driving) became a legal term
  • Social issue that gained attention in 2010s Japan

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 不安(ふあん)を煽(あお)る (incite anxiety)
  • 恐怖(きょうふ)を煽(あお)る (stoke fear)
  • 対立(たいりつ)を煽(あお)る (stir up conflict)
  • 煽(あお)り運転(うんてん) (tailgating)
  • 感情(かんじょう)を煽(あお)る (provoke emotions)

DERIVED TERMS:

  • 煽(あお)り (noun: incitement; tailgating)
  • 煽動(せんどう) (agitation, instigation)

REGISTER: Neutral. Common in news media for sense 2, everyday speech for sense 3.

general
Added 2026.1.22 21:03
07500/07924_aoru