1.
to open and read (a book), to look into
To open a book or document and read it. A literary expression.
古い文献を紐解く。
To open and read old documents.
久しぶりに万葉集を紐解いた。
I opened the Man'yoshu for the first time in a while.
祖父の日記を紐解くと、戦時中の様子がわかった。
When I opened my grandfather's diary, I could see what things were like during the war.
2.
to unravel, to trace the origins of, to examine
To carefully investigate and clarify something complex, such as history, causes, or mysteries.
歴史を紐解く。
To trace the origins of history.
事件の真相を紐解いていく。
To unravel the truth behind the incident.
この問題の原因を紐解くには、まず背景を理解する必要がある。
To unravel the cause of this problem, we first need to understand the background.
CONJUGATION (godan-ku):
- Negative: 紐解かない
- Te-form: 紐解いて
- Past: 紐解いた
TRANSITIVITY:
Transitive.
ETYMOLOGY:
Originally meant to untie the string (紐) binding a scroll or book (巻物) in order to read it. From this physical action, the meaning extended to "reading" and then to "investigating."
REGISTER:
A literary and somewhat formal word. Common in written Japanese, especially in journalism, academic writing, and book reviews.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 歴史を紐解く: to trace history
- 謎を紐解く: to unravel a mystery
- 文献を紐解く: to consult documents