打ち込む

• Reading: うちこむ
• Romaji: uchikomu
• Kanji breakdown: 打 (da/u) — strike, hit; 込 (ko) — crowded, enter deeply
• Pronunciation: /ɯ.tɕi.ko.mɯ/

Meaning

To drive in; to hammer in. Also means to throw oneself into something; to devote oneself to.

A Group 1 (godan) transitive verb with both physical and figurative uses. Physically, it means to hammer or drive something in (nails, stakes). Figuratively, 打ち込む means to immerse oneself deeply in an activity — studying, sports, or hobbies. Also used in computing for entering data. Takes に to mark what one devotes oneself to.

Examples

1. 壁に釘を打ち込んで絵を飾った。 I hammered a nail into the wall and hung a picture.
2. 彼は大学時代にサッカーに打ち込んでいた。 He threw himself into soccer during his college years.
3. パソコンにデータを打ち込む作業が続いた。 The task of entering data into the computer went on and on.

Usage Guide

Context: hobbies, work, construction

Tone: energetic

Origin & History

Compound of 打つ (to strike, hit) and 込む (to go into deeply). Together they express the force of driving something inward, extended to mean pouring energy into an endeavour.

Cultural Context

Era: Medieval

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal