板に着く
いたにつく
expression, verb (godan)
to suit one well; to look natural in a role; to be a good fit
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 板に着く | 板に着かない |
| Present polite | 板に着きます | 板に着きません |
| Past | 板に着いた | 板に着かなかった |
| Past polite | 板に着きました | 板に着きませんでした |
| て form | 板に着いて | 板に着かなくて |
| ている present | 板に着いている | 板に着いていない |
| ている polite | 板に着いています | 板に着いていません |
| ている past | 板に着いていた | 板に着いていなかった |
| ている past polite | 板に着いていました | 板に着いていませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 板に着けば | 板に着かなければ |
| Conditional たら | 板に着いたら | 板に着かなかったら |
| Volitional | 板に着こう | — |
| Volitional polite | 板に着きましょう | — |
| Potential | 板に着ける | 板に着けない |
| Passive | 板に着かれる | 板に着かれない |
| Causative | 板に着かせる | 板に着かせない |
| Imperative | 板に着け | 板に着くな |
1.
to suit one well; to look natural in a role; to be a good fit
To have grown into a role, position, or style so that it looks completely natural and well-suited. Originally from the theater, referring to how a costume looks on an actor.
スーツ姿が板に着いてきた。
He's starting to look natural in a suit.
管理職の役割がすっかり板に着いた。
She's completely settled into the management role.
最初は違和感があったが、だんだん板に着いてきた。
It felt awkward at first, but it's gradually become a natural fit.
An idiomatic expression from the theater world. 板 refers to the stage (boards), and the expression originally meant that an actor's performance or costume looked natural and fitting on stage.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- ～が板に着く: ~ suits one well
- ～が板に着いてきた: ~ is starting to look natural
- すっかり板に着いた: has completely settled in
USAGE:
Used as a compliment, often about someone who was new to a role or style but has grown into it. Common contexts include:
- New positions or job titles
- Clothing or appearance changes
- New roles in life (parent, teacher, leader)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 似合う: to suit, to look good on — more general, does not imply the process of growing into something
- 様になる: to look the part — similar meaning but more colloquial