突く
つく
to thrust, to poke, to jab, to strike at
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Examples
針で親指を突いてしまった。
はりでおやゆびをついてしまった。
I pricked my thumb with a needle.
祖父は杖を突いて歩く。
そふはつえをついてあるく。
My grandfather walks with a stick.
彼は相手の弱点を鋭く突いた。
かれはあいてのじゃくてんをするどくついた。
He struck sharply at his opponent's weak point.
Common patterns
- 弱点を突く
- to strike at a weak point
- 杖を突く
- to walk with a cane
- 核心を突く
- to hit the heart of the matter
Memory tip
A short, sharp push with a pointed thing. 刺す goes in and stays in (a needle, a bee sting); 突く is the jab itself. The figurative uses — 弱点を突く, 核心を突く — are very common in writing.
Kanji in this word
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What does 突く mean?