auxiliary N1 uncommon casualwritten
〜ぶる — to put on airs of ~
〜ぶる ・ ぶる
Meaning
- to put on airs of / affect being ~ — act like something one is not really
Key sentence
彼はいつも偉ぶっている。
He's always putting on airs of being important.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun / na-adjective stem | Noun / na-adj stem + ぶる → godan verb | 上品ぶる、学者ぶる |
Examples
知らないくせに、知ったかぶるのはやめてほしい。
I wish he'd stop pretending to know when he doesn't.
彼女はみんなの前でいい子ぶっていた。
She was acting like a good girl in front of everyone.
When you can't use it
- ぶる implies pretense — the subject is not really what they act like. Don't use it for a genuine quality (×実は親切な人が親切ぶる for someone who truly is kind).
Easily confused with
〜びる ぶる = a deliberate, often phony pose ('act ~'); びる = a quality naturally acquired over time ('become ~-like'). 大人ぶる = act grown-up (pretending); 大人びる = genuinely look mature. 〜ふりをする ふりをする pretends through a one-off act or behavior ('pretend to ~'); ぶる names a habitual self-flattering pose built into a word (偉ぶる 'put on superior airs'). 〜がる がる shows the outward signs of an inner feeling one really has (寒がる 'act cold because cold'); ぶる puts on a quality one does not have.
Notes
- ぶる is critical and disapproving. Used of oneself it is self-deprecating (もったいぶる 'make a big deal of myself').
See 〜ぶる in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ぶる the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.