曲がる

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 次の角を右に曲がる。▶ —
   Turn right at the next corner.
2. 針金が曲がった。▶ —
   The wire bent.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Magaru (曲がる) is the godan intransitive verb for "to turn / bend / become crooked" — paired with the transitive mageru (曲げる, to bend). The kanji 曲 (kyoku) is the opposite of 直 (straight), hence "not straight." Cluster: (1) direction change — migi ni magaru (turn right); (2) physical bend — harigane ga magaru (the wire bends); (3) figurative "warp" — kokoro ga magaru (the heart becomes crooked), seikaku ga magaru (the personality bends). The 曲 family: kyokusen (curve), kyokumen (curved surface), sakkyoku (composition), kakyoku (art song), kyokumei (song title), gakkyoku (musical piece), kyoku alone (song). Japan-specific: magari-kado (曲がり角, corner) is the standard street-direction word, plus metaphorical "magari-kado ni tatsu" (standing at a life-crossroads), "jinsei no magari-kado" (a turning point in life), and "jigyou ga magari-kado ni kita" (the business has reached a crossroads). Traffic-signal cluster: chokushin (straight ahead), usetsu (right turn), sasetsu (left turn). Korean gubureojida / dolda and Chinese qu / zhuanwan diverge. JLPT N5 magaru integrates with mageru, the transitivity pair, and the directional cluster.

Quick check

1. Metaphorical sense of magari-kado?

   • Life or business "crossroads / turning point" — jinsei no magari-kado
   • Narrow city alley
   • Narrow road section
   • Traffic-light location