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道Nihongo Path

Word 2035 of 4449

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操る

あやつる

to manipulate, to operate

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 三か国語を操る。

    さんかこくごをあやつる。

    He commands three languages.

  2. 人形を糸で操る。

    にんぎょうをいとであやつる。

    The puppet is worked with strings.

  3. 裏で組織を操っていた人物が逮捕された。

    うらでそしきをあやつっていたじんぶつがたいほされた。

    The man who had been pulling the organisation's strings was arrested.

Common patterns

言葉を操る
to command a language
人形を操る
to work a puppet
陰で操る
to pull the strings behind the scenes

Memory tip

One image covers every sense: pulling the strings. Hence handling a machine or a language with skill, and also controlling a person from out of sight, where 陰で操る always implies something shady.

Kanji in this word

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What does 操る mean?