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いじる ijiru
Teasing someone to entertain the room.
What does ijiru mean?
Poking fun at a person's quirks so everyone laughs — done affectionately between people who trust each other. Aimed at someone who can't push back, it's just bullying with better PR.
Example
みんなに髪型をいじられて、笑ってしまった。
Everyone teased me about my haircut and I ended up laughing.
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Be careful This one carries weight. Read the meaning and the story before you say it to anyone.
Aimed at another person, this is an insult.
Culture note
The line between ijiri and ijime — bullying — is genuinely contested in Japan, and comedians and teachers have argued about it publicly for years.
The story behind ijiru
The base verb just means to fiddle with something: your phone, a dial, a setting. Applied to a person, it becomes a comedy technique that variety television refined for decades. One performer picks at another's odd habit, the room laughs, and the person being poked is expected to bat it back with better timing.
Done between equals it is genuinely affectionate, and the ijirare-kyara, the one everyone teases, is often the most loved person in the group. The trouble is the power gap. Boss to junior, group to outsider, the same move stops being comedy, and Japanese schools and workplaces have spent years arguing exactly where that line falls.
Get ijiru in your pocket
いじる is one of 308 words in YABAI, a Japanese culture snack for Android. Every word comes with its meaning, an example sentence, a vibe check and a story like the one above — in 13 languages, read aloud by your device. Paid app: no ads, no sign-up, no subscription.
