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骨張る (ほねばる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

骨ほね張ばる

ほ

ね

ば

る

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

Describes a person, body part, or animal as having prominent bones, lacking flesh, or being gaunt. Can also refer to an angular, bony appearance.

彼かれは痩やせていて、手てが骨ほね張ばっている。
He is thin and his hands are bony.
その犬いぬは骨ほね張ばった体からだつき

を

し

て

いる

。

That dog has a bony build.

Written forms

骨ほね張ばるUsage40%
Standard kanji spelling.
骨ほねばるUsage60%
Variant spelling with kana for the okurigana part; less common but still used.

Kanji

骨skeleton, bone, remains
張counter for bows & stringed instruments, stretch, spread

Similar words

痩やせる
痩せる means 'to lose weight' or 'to be thin' in general, while 骨張る specifically emphasizes the bony, angular appearance.
骨ほねっぽい
骨っぽい means 'bony' in the sense of having many bones (e.g., fish) or being tough and unyielding, whereas 骨張る focuses on the visible prominence of bones.

Etymology

Compound of 骨 (ほね, 'bone') and 張る (はる, 'to stretch, to become tense'), literally 'bones become prominent'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the meaning is transparent from its components.