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ずば抜ける (ずばぬける) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
stand out ; be outstanding ; be a cut above
Describes someone or something that is markedly superior to others in a group; often used in the ずば抜けて～ form as an adverb meaning 'by far' or 'exceptionally'.
せん
手しゅ
は
足あし
の
速はや
さ
が
ずば
抜ぬ
け
て
いる
。
That athlete is outstanding in terms of running speed.
Written forms ずば 抜ぬ ける Usage 63%
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling.
ずばぬける Usage 22%
ズバ 抜ぬ ける Usage 16%
Katakana variant of the first element, sometimes used for emphasis or in informal writing.
Kanji 抜 slip out, extract, pull out Similar words 抜ぬ きん 出で る Similar meaning of 'to excel' or 'to stand out', but 抜きん出る is slightly more formal and less colloquial than ずば抜ける.
飛と び 抜ぬ ける Also means 'to be head and shoulders above others'; 飛び抜ける often implies a more dynamic or energetic leap ahead, while ずば抜ける can feel more matter-of-fact.
Etymology The prefix ずば- is an intensifier possibly related to the onomatopoeia ずばり (decisively, sharply), combined with 抜ける (to come out, to be omitted), giving the sense of 'to stick out sharply from the rest'. The exact derivation is uncertain.
