貫く|つらぬくtsuranuku[3]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Definitions
- godan verb, transitive verbto go through; to pierce; to penetrate
- godan verb, transitive verbto run through (e.g. a river through a city); to pass through
- godan verb, transitive verbto stick to (opinion, principles, etc.); to carry out; to persist with; to keep (e.g. faith); to maintain (e.g. independence)
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 貫く（つらぬく） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 貫きます（つらぬきます） |
| Negative (nai) | 貫かない（つらぬかない） |
| polite (masen) | 貫きません（つらぬきません） |
| classical zu / nu | 貫かず・貫かぬ（つらぬかず・つらぬかぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 貫いた（つらぬいた） |
| polite (mashita) | 貫きました（つらぬきました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 貫かなかった（つらぬかなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 貫きませんでした（つらぬきませんでした） |
| Te form | 貫いて（つらぬいて） |
| Potential | 貫ける（つらぬける） |
| Passive | 貫かれる（つらぬかれる） |
| Causative | 貫かせる（つらぬかせる） |
| Causative passive | 貫かせられる・貫かされる（つらぬかせられる・つらぬかされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 貫けば（つらぬけば） |
| tara | 貫いたら（つらぬいたら） |
| Volitional | 貫こう（つらぬこう） |
| polite (mashou) | 貫きましょう（つらぬきましょう） |
| Imperative | 貫け（つらぬけ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym貫き通すつらぬきとおすNeutralSame meaning as 「貫く」 but with a stronger tone, stressing that you carry something through from start to finish, as in 「信念を貫き通す」.
- Synonym突き通すつきとおすNeutralPierces with a pointed object; can also mean stubbornly insisting on your views. 「貫く」 is broader — a river through a city, upholding principles.
- Related貫通かんつうNeutralA noun used mostly for concrete penetration, such as a tunnel driven through or a bullet passing through. 「貫く」 also covers persisting and carrying things out.
- Related打ち抜くうちぬくNeutralFor punching or stamping out holes, or knocking through partitions — a concrete working action. It does not cover sticking to beliefs.
- Relatedぶち抜くぶちぬくCasualColloquial, rough tone: smashing through something or knocking rooms into one; also seeing a job through. 「貫く」 is more neutral and fine in writing.
- Related穿通せんつうWrittenA written, medical and technical term for perforation or penetration. In everyday speech you would say 「貫通」 or 「貫く」.
- Related突き通るつきとおるNeutralIntransitive: an arrow or blade pierces through to the other side. 「貫く」 is transitive — its subject is the thing passing through or the person holding firm.
- Related突き抜くつきぬくNeutralPierces or shoots through an obstacle, but is fairly rare and covers only physical penetration — never carrying out a policy or belief.
- Related貫入かんにゅうWrittenA technical, written term: in geology, magma intruding into the crust; in ceramics, crazing of the glaze. Not used in daily talk for piercing or persistence.
- Antonym曲げるまげるNeutralThe opposite in the sense of holding to your views: 「意見を曲げる」 means abandoning your original stance and yielding to others.
- Antonym折るおるNeutralOpposite of 「貫く」 in the sense of persistence: 「我を折る」 means giving up your own opinion and giving way to the other side.
- Antonym諦めるあきらめるNeutralMeans giving up a wish or goal — the direct opposite of 「貫く」 in its sense of seeing something through to the end.
「貫く」 covers both piercing and holding firm: 「矢が的を貫く」, 「信念を貫く」. For a stronger tone use 「貫き通す」; as a noun say 「貫通」; for punching holes use 「打ち抜く」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
