口説く|くどくkudoku[2]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Definitions
- godan verb, transitive verbto persuade; to urge; to coax; to solicit
- godan verb, transitive verbto make advances (to); to seduce; to court; to woo; to make a play (for); to make a pass (at); to come on to; to hit onそれ、私を口説いてるの？↗Are you making a pass at me?
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 口説く（くどく） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 口説きます（くどきます） |
| Negative (nai) | 口説かない（くどかない） |
| polite (masen) | 口説きません（くどきません） |
| classical zu / nu | 口説かず・口説かぬ（くどかず・くどかぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 口説いた（くどいた） |
| polite (mashita) | 口説きました（くどきました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 口説かなかった（くどかなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 口説きませんでした（くどきませんでした） |
| Te form | 口説いて（くどいて） |
| Potential | 口説ける（くどける） |
| Passive | 口説かれる（くどかれる） |
| Causative | 口説かせる（くどかせる） |
| Causative passive | 口説かせられる・口説かされる（くどかせられる・くどかされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 口説けば（くどけば） |
| tara | 口説いたら（くどいたら） |
| Volitional | 口説こう（くどこう） |
| polite (mashou) | 口説きましょう（くどきましょう） |
| Imperative | 口説け（くどけ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym丸め込むまるめこむCasualColloquial: winning someone over with smooth talk until they go along, with a hint of coaxing or trickery; it does not itself mean romantic pursuit.
- Related仕向けるしむけるNeutralWorks someone up to doing something on their own initiative; the approach is more indirect and need not rely on verbal persuasion.
- RelatedそそのかすWrittenWritten/formal prose: instigating or egging someone on to do something bad, clearly derogatory; 「口説く」 centers on repeated persuasion or courtship.
- Related誘うさそうNeutralThe most ordinary word for inviting someone to do something together; 「口説く」 is repeated pleading or courting a love interest.
- Related誘惑ゆうわくWrittenWritten/formal prose: tempting someone away from their original intent, usually through desire; it does not stress verbal persuasion.
- Related釣るつるCasualColloquial: luring with a perk or sweetener, as in 「お金で釣る」; a figurative use — the literal sense is to fish.
- Related誘い出すさそいだすNeutralGetting someone to come out or luring them out; the point is making them leave where they are.
- Related誘引ゆういんWrittenWritten/formal prose: enticement or solicitation, typical of legal texts and customer recruitment.
- Related誘い込むさそいこむNeutralDrawing someone into a circle, state, or trap; the emphasis is on bringing them in somewhere.
- Relatedおびき入れるおびきいれるCasualColloquial: luring someone in with bait, often as part of a set trap; carries a scheming feel.
- Antonym遠ざけるとおざけるNeutralKeeping people or things at a distance from oneself — the opposite of 「口説く」, which works to win someone over and draw them close.
To ask someone along, use 「誘う」. 「口説く」 is for repeated persuasion, earnest pleading, or courting someone romantically, and can carry a nuance of pestering or seducing. Use 「丸め込む」 when coaxing someone into compliance with sweet talk, and 「唆す」 for instigating wrongdoing.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
