粘(ねば)る

ねばる
godan verb
to persist; to stick with it; to persevere
1. to persist; to stick with it; to persevere
To continue stubbornly or tenaciously despite difficulties, often implying staying in a situation longer than expected.
最後(さいご)まで粘(ねば)って勝(か)った。
We persisted until the end and won.
交渉(こうしょう)で粘(ねば)って値引(ねび)きしてもらった。
I persisted in negotiations and got a discount.
カフェで何時間(なんじかん)も粘(ねば)って勉強(べんきょう)した。
I stayed at the café for hours studying.
2. to be sticky; to be viscous
Physical property of being adhesive or having a thick, sticky consistency.
この餅(もち)はよく粘(ねば)る。
This mochi is very sticky.
納豆(なっとう)は糸(いと)を引(ひ)いて粘(ねば)る。
Natto is sticky and draws strings.
雨(あめ)で土(つち)が粘(ねば)って歩(ある)きにくい。
The soil became sticky from the rain, making it hard to walk.

粘(ねば)る has both abstract (persistence) and physical (stickiness) meanings.

SENSE 1 - PERSISTENCE:

  • 粘(ねば)り強(づよ)い: tenacious, persistent
  • 粘(ねば)り勝(が)ち: winning through persistence
  • 粘(ねば)りに粘(ねば)る: to persist stubbornly

SENSE 2 - STICKINESS:

  • 粘(ねば)り気(け): stickiness, viscosity
  • 粘(ねば)粘(ねば)する: to be slimy/sticky (onomatopoeia)

RELATED WORDS:

  • 粘着(ねんちゃく): adhesion
  • 粘液(ねんえき): mucus, slime
general
Added 2026.1.30 23:48 · Revised 2026.2.19 21:32
08500/08994_nebaru