ほじくる

• Reading: ほじくる
• Romaji: hojikuru
• Pronunciation: /ho.dʑi.kɯ.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To dig up; to poke into; to pry into; to pick at something persistently.

A Group 1 (godan) verb written in hiragana as it is rarely seen in kanji. The physical sense covers picking at a wound, digging in dirt, or poking into a hole. The figurative sense—persistently probing into someone's past, faults, or private matters—is common in casual speech. Carries a slightly pejorative nuance of unwelcome prying.

Examples

1. 傷口をほじくるような真似は止めなさい。 Stop picking at your wound like that.
2. 記者はスキャンダルの詳細をほじくり続けた。 The journalist kept digging into the details of the scandal.
3. 人の過去をほじくり返すのは趣味が悪い。 It is in poor taste to go raking up someone's past.

Usage Guide

Context: gossip, journalism, colloquial speech, daily life

Tone: slightly negative

Origin & History

Of uncertain origin, likely an expressive onomatopoeic formation related to poking and digging motions. The verb has equivalents in regional dialects and appears in colloquial writing from the Edo period. The figurative prying sense developed from the physical image of digging something out.

Cultural Context

Era: Edo–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal