拗れる

• Reading: こじれる
• Romaji: kojireru
• Kanji breakdown: 拗 (ō/koji) — to be contrary, to twist
• Pronunciation: /ko.dʑi.ɾe.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To become complicated; to get entangled; to worsen; to go badly awry. Describes a situation or relationship deteriorating into a more intractable state.

A Group 2 (ichidan) verb describing the process of something simple becoming twisted or contentious. Common collocations: 話がこじれる (negotiations break down), 病気をこじらせる (to let an illness worsen by neglect), 関係がこじれる (a relationship becomes strained). The causative form こじらせる describes actively making something worse, and has become a buzzword in social commentary (こじらせた人 = a person with emotional baggage).

Examples

1. 最初は小さな誤解だったが、話がこじれて訴訟にまで発展した。 What started as a minor misunderstanding got so tangled up that it turned into a lawsuit.
2. 風邪を拗らせると肺炎になることもあるので注意が必要だ。 If you let a cold get worse, it can develop into pneumonia, so be careful.
3. 二人の関係は一度こじれると、修復するのが難しい。 Once a relationship between two people goes sour, it's hard to repair.

Usage Guide

Context: negotiations, relationships, health, conflict

Tone: negative

Origin & History

Related to 拗ねる (hoshineru, to sulk or be perverse). The kanji 拗 carries the sense of something twisted or contrary. 拗れる describes the process of becoming progressively more twisted or complicated.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal