引く

• Reading: ひく
• Romaji: hiku
• Kanji breakdown: 引 (pull/draw back) → figuratively recoiling from something off-putting
• Pronunciation: /hi.kɯ/

Meaning

To be put off, taken aback, or repelled — describes the instinctive recoil when encountering something off-putting.

In slang, 引く (literally 'to pull/draw back') means to be involuntarily repelled by something someone said or did. It describes that moment when you physically or mentally recoil because someone crossed a line of social acceptability. The intensified form ドン引き (don-biki, severely put off) is extremely common and indicates an even stronger reaction. It is one of the most natural ways to express 'that was a turn-off' in Japanese.

Examples

1. 初デートでいきなり年収聞いてきて引いた。 They asked about my salary on the first date and I was instantly put off.
2. あの発言はさすがにドン引きだわ。 That comment was genuinely off-putting — total turn-off.
3. 引くレベルの食べ方してて一緒に食事したくない。 The way they eat is so gross I don't want to share a meal with them.

Usage Guide

Context: friends, dating, casual conversation, social media

Tone: repelled, uncomfortable, judging

Do Say

• さすがに引くわ。 (That's genuinely off-putting.)
• あれ見てドン引きした。 (I was completely put off seeing that.)

Don't Say

• 面と向かって「引くわ」は相手を強く拒絶する表現 (Saying 'hiku wa' to someone's face is a strong expression of rejection)

Common Mistakes

• Not learning ドン引き alongside 引く — ドン引き is equally common and important
• Using 引く only for negative things — it specifically means being put off, not just disliking something

Origin & History

From the standard verb 引く (hiku, to pull/draw back). The figurative meaning of being repelled or recoiling emerged naturally from the physical action of pulling away. The compound ドン引き (heavily pulled back) amplifies the reaction. Widespread in casual speech since at least the 2000s.

Cultural Context

Era: 2000s mainstream slang adoption

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal informal

Regional notes: Used nationwide. ドン引き is the intensified compound form and is equally widespread.