引(ひ)き金(がね)

ひきがね
noun
trigger (of a gun); trigger (cause)
abstractchange
1. trigger (of a gun)
The lever on a firearm that is pulled to discharge it.
引(ひ)き金(がね)を引(ひ)く。
To pull the trigger.
銃(じゅう)の引(ひ)き金(がね)に指(ゆび)をかけた。
He put his finger on the gun's trigger.
2. trigger, catalyst, cause
Something that directly causes an event or chain of events to begin. Used figuratively for the starting point of a major change, conflict, or incident.
あの一言(ひとこと)が引(ひ)き金(がね)になって二人(ふたり)は大喧嘩(おおげんか)をした。
That one remark triggered a huge fight between them.
この事件(じけん)が引(ひ)き金(がね)となって法律(ほうりつ)が改正(かいせい)された。
This incident served as the trigger for the law being revised.
株価(かぶか)の暴落(ぼうらく)が経済(けいざい)危機(きき)の引(ひ)き金(がね)になった。
The stock price crash became the trigger for the economic crisis.
小(ちい)さな誤解(ごかい)が大(おお)きな紛争(ふんそう)の引(ひ)き金(がね)になることもある。
Even a small misunderstanding can become the trigger for a major conflict.

Usage

The figurative sense (sense 2) is more common in everyday use than the literal sense. The pattern ～が引(ひ)き金(がね)になる (~ becomes the trigger) and ～が引(ひ)き金(がね)となる (more formal) are standard.

Common collocations

  • 引(ひ)き金(がね)を引(ひ)く: to pull the trigger
  • 引(ひ)き金(がね)になる: to become the trigger/catalyst
  • 引(ひ)き金(がね)となる: to serve as the trigger (formal)
  • ～の引(ひ)き金(がね): the trigger of ~
general
Added 2026.2.21 15:48 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
12000/12454_hikigane