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食いしばる (くいしばる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

食くいしばる

く

い

し

ば

る

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

clench one's teeth; grit one's teeth

Used literally for clenching the teeth tightly, often in the phrase 歯を食いしばる. Also used figuratively for enduring hardship with determination.

痛いたみに耐たえて、彼かれは歯はを食くいしばった。
He clenched his teeth, enduring the pain.
悔くやしさをこらえて、唇くちびるを食くいしばった。
She bit her lip, holding back her frustration.

困こん難なんに直ちょく面めんしても、歯はを食くいしばって頑がん張ばろう。

Even when facing difficulties, let's grit our teeth and do our best.

Written forms

食くいしばるUsage62%
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling.
くいしばるUsage30%
喰くいしばるUsage7%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form.
食くい縛しばるUsage1%
Alternate kanji spelling using 縛る; less common but acceptable.
くい縛しばるUsage1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only mixed form.
喰くい縛しばる
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form with 喰.

Kanji

食eat, food
喰eat, drink, receive (a blow)
縛truss, arrest, bind

Similar words

噛かみしめる
噛みしめる means to chew or bite down while savoring, often used figuratively for reflecting deeply on something. 食いしばる emphasizes forceful clenching, typically of the teeth, to endure pain or effort.

Etymology

Compound of 食い (kui, 'eating', continuative form of 食う) and 縛る (shibaru, 'to bind, tie'). The literal sense is 'to bind by eating', i.e., to clench the teeth tightly as if binding them together.