言い張る|いいはるiiharu[3]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Definitions
- godan verb, transitive verbto insist; to assert; to be obstinate in saying
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 言い張る（いいはる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 言い張ります（いいはります） |
| Negative (nai) | 言い張らない（いいはらない） |
| polite (masen) | 言い張りません（いいはりません） |
| classical zu / nu | 言い張らず・言い張らぬ（いいはらず・いいはらぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 言い張った（いいはった） |
| polite (mashita) | 言い張りました（いいはりました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 言い張らなかった（いいはらなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 言い張りませんでした（いいはりませんでした） |
| Te form | 言い張って（いいはって） |
| Potential | 言い張れる（いいはれる） |
| Passive | 言い張られる（いいはられる） |
| Causative | 言い張らせる（いいはらせる） |
| Causative passive | 言い張らせられる・言い張らされる（いいはらせられる・いいはらされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 言い張れば（いいはれば） |
| tara | 言い張ったら（いいはったら） |
| Volitional | 言い張ろう（いいはろう） |
| polite (mashou) | 言い張りましょう（いいはりましょう） |
| Imperative | 言い張れ（いいはれ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym主張しゅちょうNeutralNeutral and objective: putting forward your own view or claim. Unlike 「言い張る」, it carries no hint of stubbornly sticking to your story against others.
- Related力説りきせつWrittenWritten/formal prose: arguing a point forcefully to stress its importance. It lacks the stubborn refusal to listen that colors 「言い張る」.
- Related言い切るいいきるNeutralDeclaring something flatly and definitively. The emphasis is on a decisive, confident tone, not on holding your ground in an argument like 「言い張る」.
- Related断言だんげんWrittenWritten/formal: drawing a firm conclusion and stating it flatly; the stress is on certainty. 「言い張る」 stresses repeating your claim despite opposition.
- Related明言めいげんWrittenWritten/formal: making something explicit — stating it clearly and unambiguously. No stubbornness involved.
- Related言明げんめいFormalFormal: a solemn, official declaration, weightier than 「明言」 and typical of public or official settings.
- Related言い立てるいいたてるCasualColloquial: enumerating things one by one or broadcasting them everywhere — wordy and talkative. It can also mean insisting, but the stress is on saying too much.
- Related言い放ついいはなつCasualColloquial: blurting something out bluntly, without holding back. The nuance is a sharp, unreserved way of speaking, not repeated insistence like 「言い張る」.
- Related確言かくげんWrittenWritten/formal and rather rare: asserting something with full confidence. The point is assured certainty, not stubbornness.
- Related言い通すいいとおすNeutralSticking to your statement to the very end without ever changing it. The closest of all to 「言い張る」 in nuance.
- Antonym譲るゆずるNeutralAntonym: to yield or concede. The opposite of 「言い張る」, which is refusing to budge from your own view.
- Antonym引くひくCasualColloquial antonym: to back off or let go. The opposite of 「言い張る」 with its image of clinging to a claim and refusing to let go.
Use 「言い張る」 for stubbornly insisting despite opposition, as in 「自分は悪くないと言い張る」. For stating a view objectively, pick 「主張」; for flat, certain declarations, 「断言」. 「言い通す」 is the nearest match; the rest differ mainly in tone and register.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
