抜く

• Reading: ぬく
• Romaji: nuku
• Kanji breakdown: 抜 (nuku/batsu) — pull out, extract, remove
• Pronunciation: /nɯ.kɯ/

Meaning

To pull out; to extract; to remove. Also means to omit or skip over something.

A Group 1 (godan) verb conjugated with the く row. Has multiple meanings depending on context: physically pulling something out (歯を抜く, pull a tooth), surpassing someone (追い抜く, to overtake), and omitting or skipping (手を抜く, to cut corners). Very productive in compound verbs like 見抜く (to see through) and 切り抜く (to cut out).

Examples

1. 歯医者で親知らずを一本抜いた。 I had a wisdom tooth pulled at the dentist.
2. マラソンで三人を抜いて二位になった。 I passed three runners in the marathon and came in second.
3. 忙しいときは朝食を抜くことがある。 When I'm busy, I sometimes skip breakfast.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, sports, work

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Old Japanese. The kanji 抜 combines 手 (hand radical) and 犮 (to pull), representing the action of pulling something out with the hand.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal