The Meaning of uchitsukeru [打付ける] In Japanese

打付ける
うちつける
Romaji: uchitsukeru N4

What does 打付ける mean?

Translation and Meaning

to drive in, to hammer in, to fasten, to attach firmly

Definition

打付ける means to drive something into a surface by hammering it, or to fasten or attach something securely by pounding it into place. It is used for physical fastening in carpentry, construction, and related trades, and can describe securing objects by forcing them to stay fixed.

Type

Verb (五段活用)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • to drive in or hammer into a surface to fix something
  • to attach or mount something firmly by pressing or pounding against another surface

Etymology

打 (to strike) + 付 (to attach) → a compound meaning to secure by striking. The reading uchitsukeru comes from the verbs 打つ (utsu) and 付ける (tsukeru).

Composition

  • 打 = strike, hit
  • 付 = attach, affix
  • ける is the verb ending from 付ける; together they form a verb meaning to attach by striking

Usage

Used in formal and technical contexts such as carpentry, construction, and mechanical work; it is a transitive verb typically found in instructional or descriptive passages. Common with concrete objects like wood, walls, and posts, and appears in constructions describing the act of fastening or mounting.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a carpenter shouting ‘uchi!’ as they drive a nail to tsuke (attach); the visual of hammering nails to fix a piece helps recall the meaning of 打付ける.

Variations

  • 打ち付ける uchitsukeru — main reading; to hammer in or fix
  • 打付ける uchitsukeru — variant kanji spelling; same meaning
  • 固定する kotei suru — related synonym meaning to fix or fasten

Example Phrases

  • 今夜、新しい額縁を壁に打付けるために、金槌を用意した。
    konya, atarashii gakubuchi o kabe ni uchitsukeru tame ni, kanazuchi o youi shita.
    Tonight I prepared a hammer to nail a new frame to the wall.
    Lista:
    • 今夜 (konya) – tonight
    • 新しい (atarashii) – new
    • 額縁 (gakubuchi) – frame
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 壁 (kabe) – wall
    • に (ni) – to
    • 打付ける (uchitsukeru) – to nail/attach by hammering
    • ために (tame ni) – for the purpose of
    • 金槌 (kanazuchi) – hammer
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 用意した (youi shita) – prepared
    The transitive verb 「打付ける」 means to nail or attach by hammering; XをYに打付ける expresses attaching X to Y. The phrase 「打付けるために」 indicates purpose.
打付ける