虜(とりこ)

とりこ

noun

captive; prisoner; devotee

person emotion

1. captive; prisoner of war

A person taken captive, especially a prisoner of war. This is the original, literal meaning.

敵(てき)の虜(とりこ)になる。

Become a prisoner of the enemy.

戦争(せんそう)で多(おお)くの兵士(へいし)が虜(とりこ)にされた。

Many soldiers were taken captive in the war.

彼(かれ)は虜(とりこ)として何年(なんねん)も異国(いこく)の地(ち)で過(す)ごした。

He spent years in a foreign land as a prisoner.

2. captivated person; devotee; someone enthralled

A person who is completely captivated or charmed by something or someone. The most common modern usage.

彼女(かのじょ)の笑顔(えがお)の虜(とりこ)になった。

I was captivated by her smile.

この味(あじ)の虜(とりこ)になる人(ひと)が多(おお)い。

Many people become hooked on this flavor.

一度(いちど)訪(おとず)れたら、京都(きょうと)の魅力(みりょく)の虜(とりこ)になってしまうだろう。

Once you visit, you'll probably be captivated by Kyoto's charm.

Originally meant a prisoner or captive, but in modern Japanese is far more commonly used figuratively to mean someone who is completely charmed or enthralled. Often written in hiragana (とりこ) in the figurative sense.

Common collocations

虜(とりこ)になる — to be captivated, to become enthralled
虜(とりこ)にする — to captivate, to enthral
〜の虜(とりこ) — captivated by ~
心(こころ)を虜(とりこ)にする — to capture someone's heart

Usage

The figurative sense (sense 2) is overwhelmingly more common in modern Japanese. The pattern 〜の虜(とりこ)になる is one of the most natural ways to express being completely charmed by something — food, a place, a person, or an experience.

Similar words

捕虜(ほりょ) — prisoner of war (formal/military)
夢中(むちゅう) — absorbed, crazy about (similar figurative meaning but less romantic)

Related Words

Compare: 夢中(むちゅう) (absorbed, crazy about)

general

Added 2026.3.25 19:12 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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