こだわる

こ

だ

わ

る

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

be obsessive; fuss over; be hung up on

usually written using kana alone

Often negative: worrying too much or being overly fixated on details, rules, or trivial matters. Commonly used with ～にこだわる.

彼かれは細こまかいことにこだわりすぎる。
He is too hung up on small details.
そんな小ちいさなミスにこだわらなくてもいいよ

。

You don't have to fuss over such a small mistake.

2

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

be particular about; insist on; be fastidious

usually written using kana alone

Positive or neutral nuance: paying careful attention to quality, authenticity, or one's standards. Often used with ～にこだわる.

彼かの女じょは食しょく材ざいの鮮せん度どにこだわっている。
She is particular about the freshness of ingredients.
この店みせはサービスにこだわっている。
This shop insists on good service.

3

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

get stuck; be obstructed

dated termusually written using kana alone

Dated, physical sense: something becomes stuck or blocked. Rare in modern usage; replaced by 引っかかる or つかえる.

古ふるい文ぶん献けんでは、車くるまが泥どろにこだわると記しるされている。
In old documents, it is written that the cart gets stuck in the mud.

Written forms

こだわるUsage99%
Usually written in kana. The kanji forms 拘る and 拘わる exist but are less common.
拘こだわるUsage1%
Kanji form; less common than kana. May be encountered in formal or literary writing.
拘こだわる
Rare kanji variant with okurigana わる.

Kanji

拘arrest, seize, concerned

Similar words

気きにする
気にする is a general 'to mind/worry about', while こだわる implies a stronger fixation or stubborn insistence on a particular point.
執しゅう着ちゃくする
執着する is a more formal and stronger word for 'to be attached/obsessed', often used in psychological contexts. こだわる is more everyday.

Etymology

Originally meant 'to get stuck' physically. The modern psychological sense of 'being fixated' developed from that idea of being unable to move past something. The exact derivation is uncertain.