手懐ける

• Reading: てなずける
• Romaji: tenazukeru
• Kanji breakdown: 手 (te) — hand; 懐 (na/futokoro) — bosom, to tame
• Pronunciation: /te.na.zɯ.ke.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To tame; to domesticate; to win someone over. Describes bringing a creature or person under one's influence through patient effort.

A Group 2 (ichidan) verb. Literally 'to place in one's hand,' 手懐ける extends from its concrete sense of taming animals to the figurative sense of winning over difficult people — a colleague, a client, or an adversary — through charm or persistent attention. The figurative use carries a slightly manipulative nuance and is common in business and political discourse.

Examples

1. 彼女は野良猫を長い時間をかけて手懐け、とうとう家の中に招き入れた。 She spent a long time taming the stray cat and finally welcomed it inside the house.
2. 新しい上司は部下を巧みに手懐け、短期間でチームの信頼を掴んだ。 The new manager skilfully won over his subordinates and gained the team's trust in a short period.
3. 難攻不落と言われた交渉相手を手懐けるまでに、三年かかった。 It took three years to win over the negotiating counterpart who was said to be impregnable.

Usage Guide

Context: animal care, business, interpersonal relations, politics

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 手 (te — hand) + 懐ける (nazukeru — to tame, to domesticate). 懐ける derives from 懐 (futokoro — bosom, one's inner space), conveying the image of drawing something close to oneself.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal