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ひったくる Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
godan verb (-ru), transitive verb
snatch ; grab forcefully ; steal
usually written using kana alone
Describes a sudden, forceful taking of something from someone, often with a sense of theft or robbery. Commonly used for bag-snatching or grabbing objects from another person's hand.
The child grabbed the toy away.
Written forms ひったくる Usage 87%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 引ったくる and 引っ手繰る are rare and may be unfamiliar to many readers.
引ひ ったくる Usage 13%
Kanji form using 引; rarely used in modern writing.
引ひ っ 手た 繰く る
Kanji form with 手繰; very rare and may be considered ateji-like.
Similar words 奪うば う 奪う is a more general verb for taking something by force or depriving someone of something, not necessarily with the sudden, snatching motion implied by ひったくる.
盗ぬす む 盗む means to steal, often secretly or without direct confrontation, while ひったくる implies a quick, open grab.
Etymology Derived from the verb ひく (引く, 'to pull') with an emphatic or forceful suffix たくる, possibly related to 手繰る (たぐる, 'to haul in'). The exact derivation is uncertain, but the word conveys a strong pulling or snatching action.
