託する

• Reading: たくする
• Romaji: takusuru
• Kanji breakdown: 託 (taku) — to entrust, to use as a pretext
• Pronunciation: /ta.kɯ.sɯ.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To entrust something to someone; to consign; to use something as a pretext or cover for one's true intentions.

A Group 3 (suru) verb with two distinct senses: the straightforward sense of delegating or entrusting (子供に夢を託する), and the more nuanced sense of using something as a convenient excuse or vehicle for expressing an ulterior motive (口実に託する). The second sense appears frequently in literary and formal writing.

Examples

1. 病気を口実に託して招待を断ったが、本当は気が進まなかっただけだ。 He used illness as a pretext to decline the invitation, but the truth was he simply didn't feel like going.
2. 作家は自身の孤独感を主人公に託して、この長編小説を書き上げた。 The author channeled his own sense of loneliness into the protagonist and completed this full-length novel.
3. 遺言状には全財産を孤児院に託することが明記されていた。 The will clearly stated that the entire estate was to be entrusted to an orphanage.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, legal documents, formal writing, journalism

Tone: deliberate

Origin & History

From 託 (taku) meaning 'to entrust, to request, to use as a pretext', combined with the verbal suffix する. The character 託 itself derives from 言 (speech) and 乇 (to entrust), conveying the idea of verbally delegating something.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical to Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Educated