How do you say "to pull" in Japanese?

引っ張る

hipparu

Verb Kanji

In Japanese, "to pull" is 引っ張る (hipparu).

Listen to the pronunciation:

Free Japanese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games

Pronunciation

引っ張る is written using kanji. Romanised as hipparu, it sounds roughly like "heep-pah-roo" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Hipparu (引っ張る) combines hiki (pull) with haru (stretch). The small tsu creates an intensity suggesting forceful pulling.

Example sentence

彼女は公園で引っ張ります。

Kanojo wa kouen de hipparimasu.

She to pulls in the park.

Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember 引っ張る

Hipparu has the pull kanji doubled in sound. The intensity markers suggest a hard yank rather than a gentle tug.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese verbs.

Questions about 引っ張る

How do you pronounce 引っ張る?

引っ張る is romanised as hipparu. Say it roughly like "heep-pah-roo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 引っ張る formal or casual?

引っ張る is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 引っ張る written in Japanese?

引っ張る is written using kanji. Hipparu (引っ張る) combines hiki (pull) with haru (stretch).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"To pull" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.

Noun Town language-learning game on PC, Mac and VR

The full experience

Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR

These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.

See the full game ▶

Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town