いじる to touch, modify, tease

こんにちは！Some Japanese words change meaning depending on context. いじる can mean messing with objects or playfully teasing someone, depending on the situation. Let’s goooo! 💃✨

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いじる (Ijiru)

いじる has several meanings and varies depending on the context. For objects, it often means to physically touch or manipulate them. For people, it typically refers to teasing or joking around with someone (which can be either friendly or annoying depending on the situation).

1. To touch or handle something physically

Example Sentence

A: ねえ、さっきからずっとスマホいじってるけど人(ひと)の話(はなし)ちゃんと聞(き)いてる？！
Hey, you've been playing with your phone this whole time. Are you actually listening to what I'm saying?!

B: 聞(き)いてるよー（棒読み（ぼうよみ））
Yeah, I'm listening… (said in a flat/disinterested tone)

2. To modify, adjust or tamper with something

Example Sentence

A: 設定(せってい)をいろいろいじってたら画面(がめん)が変(へん)になっちゃった
I was tweaking various settings and the screen got all messed up.

B: 一旦(いったん)すべてリセットしてみたら？
Why don't you try resetting everything back to default?

3. To tease or make fun of someone

Example Sentence

A: さっき歌詞(かし)飛(と)ばしたよね！自分(じぶん)で「歌詞(かし)は入(い)れとかないと」って言(い)ってたのに！笑
You totally skipped the lyrics just now! And you were the one who said, “You have to prepare the lyrics!” 😂

B: イジられると思(おも)ったわ〜！人間(にんげん)誰(だれ)でも間違(まちが)えるよ！
I knew you were gonna tease me! Hey, everyone makes mistakes!

💡いじる (イジる) is used in casual or online chats for playful teasing but can feel excessive or negative depending on the context. If overused, it may come off as bullying, so tone matters📖

今週も読んでくれてありがとう！また来週✌️! Thanks for reading this newsletter! See you next week ✌️!

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