繕う

• Reading: つくろう
• Romaji: tsukurou
• Kanji breakdown: 繕 (zen/tsukuro) — to mend, to repair; from 糸 (thread) + phonetic 善
• Pronunciation: /tsɯ.kɯ.ɾo.ɯ/

Meaning

To mend; to repair; to patch up; to smooth over a situation; to maintain appearances.

A Group 1 (godan) verb. 繕う serves both for physical repairs — mending clothes or objects — and figurative ones — smoothing over a relationship or keeping up a surface appearance of normality. The figurative usage often carries a slightly deceptive nuance, suggesting the repair is cosmetic rather than genuine.

Examples

1. 古い着物を丁寧に繕って大切に保管した。 She carefully mended the old kimono and stored it with great care.
2. 体裁を繕うために嘘をついてしまった。 I ended up lying in order to keep up appearances.
3. ひびが入った関係を繕うことは容易ではなかった。 Patching up a cracked relationship is no easy task.

Usage Guide

Context: household, social relationships, appearances

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Old Japanese, derived from 繕 (zhen in Chinese), meaning to mend or repair. The kanji depicts thread (糸) combined with a phonetic component, evoking stitching something back together.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical-Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal