こだわる[kodawaru]: be particular about

October 5, 2020

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“こだわる(拘る)” is a verb that means “to be particular about​”. It is used when you pursue the quality of something or when you are picky about something. It is used in both positive and negative ways depending on the context. ”こだわり” is a noun for ”こだわる”.

Meg and Amy are looking for dresses for the party at the clothing shop.

  • Meg: この黒の服、いいな!どう?
    This black dress is so beautiful!(She is trying on the dress.) How is it?
  • Amy: それ、すごく似合っている!
    That dress looks really nice on you!
  • Meg: このブランド、好きなんだ。デザインに滅茶苦茶(めちゃくちゃ)こだわっている。
    I like this brand. I think it’s really particular about the design of the outfits!
  • Amy: 私も好きだな。体のラインが綺麗に見えるよね!
    Me too. Their outfits make our body look beautiful!
You might have heard "めっちゃ" many times. It is derived from "滅茶苦茶(めちゃくちゃ)".
Ken and Leo are preparing for tomorrow’s presentation about the new products.
  • Ken: いつ、資料作成は終わりそう?
    When do you think you will finish creating the documents?
  • Leo: もう終わったんだけど、上司が細かい事にこだわっていて...内容だけじゃなく、見た目にもこだわらなきゃ
    I’ve already done it, but our boss pays attention to details... So I have to be particular about not only the contents, but also the appearance.
  • Ken: なるほど。手伝おうか(手分けする)?
    Uh-huh. Shall we divide the task?
  • Leo: 大丈夫。もうすぐ終わるから。
    No thank you. It’s almost done.
Ken and Leo are talking about their work style during the covid-19 pandemic.
  • Leo: 家で働くのに慣れたなぁ。ケンは?
    I got used to working at home. How about you?
  • Ken: 俺も。時々、(同僚と)スムーズにコミュニケーションできなくて、不便だけどね。でも、古いやり方にこだわる必要はないよね。
    Same here. Sometimes I feel that it’s inconvenient when I can’t communicate with my colleagues smoothly. But it's no use trying to stick to the old ways.
  • Leo: その通り。ズームのような、新しい技術を使えばいいよね。
    Exactly. We can use new technologies like Zoom.

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