凝らす

• 読み: こらす
• ローマ字: korasu
• 漢字の分解: 凝 (gyō/ko) — to concentrate, solidify, be absorbed
• 発音: /ko.ɾa.sɯ/

意味

To concentrate; to focus intently; to elaborate; to apply with great care and ingenuity.

A Group 1 (godan) verb, the transitive/causative form of 凝る (koru, to be absorbed in, to stiffen). Common compound expressions are staples of N1-level Japanese: 目を凝らす (to strain one's eyes, peer intently), 耳を凝らす (to listen with concentration), 趣向を凝らす (to devise with ingenuity, to elaborate a plan or design). The common thread is intensely directing one's faculties toward a single point.

例文

1. 暗闇の中で目を凝らすと、人影がぼんやりと見えた。
2. 主催者は趣向を凝らした演出で来場者を魅了した。
3. 彼女は耳を凝らしてドアの外の会話を聞き取ろうとした。

使い方ガイド

場面: attention, creativity, sensory focus, design

トーン: focused

起源と歴史

Causative and transitive form of 凝る (koru). The kanji 凝 combines the ice radical (冫) with a component suggesting solidification, evoking the concentration of energy or attention into a single dense point.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal