謙る

• 読み: へりくだる
• ローマ字: herikudaru
• 漢字の分解: 謙 (heri/ken) — humble, modest, self-deprecating
• 発音: /he.ɾi.kɯ.da.ɾɯ/

意味

To humble oneself; to speak modestly; to be self-deprecating. Describes deliberately lowering one's own status when speaking to others.

A Group 1 (godan) intransitive verb. Closely tied to Japanese keigo (honorific language) culture. While moderate humility is valued, excessive use can sound insincere. The related adjective 謙虚 (kenkyo, humble) is the positive quality this verb embodies.

例文

1. 彼女はいつも謙って自分の成果を話さない。
2. あまり謙りすぎると逆に嫌味に聞こえる。
3. 目上の人の前では少し謙るのが礼儀だ。

使い方ガイド

場面: keigo, social etiquette, business

トーン: respectful

起源と歴史

From 謙 (to be humble/modest), a kanji of Chinese origin. The やまと言葉 (native Japanese) reading へりくだる combines へり (to decrease) with くだる (to descend), vividly describing the act of lowering oneself.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal