Nejiru and Hineru (Twist)

Today, I'd like to explain the difference between the Japanese verbs "nejiru" and "hineru," which have the similar meaning.

Although both of them can be translated into English as "twist" or "quirk," the nuances are different.

"Nejiru" expresses "to rotate both ends of a rod-like object in the opposite direction with a strong force," and "hineru" expresses "tp rotate something in a certain direction with a weak force."

For example:
Harigane o nejiru (twist wires)
Jaguchi o hineru (turn on/run a water tap)

Also, "hineru" has other meanings, such as "puzzle over," and "tricky."

For example:
Muzukashi mondai ni atama o hineru (puzzle over a difficult problem)
Hinetta mondai o teian suru (propose a tricky question)

「ねじる」と「ひねる」

今日は、意味のよく似た日本語「ねじる」と「ひねる」の違いを説明します。

どちらも英語では、"twist" や "quirk" といった意味ですが、ニュアンスが異なります。

「ねじる」は「強い力で棒などの両端を逆方向に回転させる」、「ひねる」は「弱い力で一定方向に回転させる」といった動作を表します。

例：
針金をねじる
蛇口をひねる

また、「ひねる」は「苦心する」「趣向を変える」などの意味も持ちます。

例：
難しい問題に頭をひねる
ひねった問題を提案する