1To pull or tug something toward oneself with the hands or a tool; also used for leading a person or animal along (e.g. leading a horse).
ドアを引いて開けてください。
Please pull the door open.
子どもが荷車を引いて歩いている。
The child is walking while pulling a cart.
農夫が牛を引いて畑へ向かった。
The farmer led the ox toward the field.
2To draw or attract attention, interest, or sympathy toward oneself, as in 「注意を引く」("to draw attention"); sometimes written 惹く.
彼女の歌声はすぐに人々の注意を引いた。
Her singing voice immediately drew people's attention.
その事件はメディアの関心を大きく引いた。
That incident greatly attracted media interest.
派手なポスターが通行人の目を引いた。
The flashy poster caught passersby's eyes.
3To draw back or pull in a part of one's body (a hand, the chin, the stomach), such as in reaction to surprise or to adjust one's posture.
熱いお湯に触れて思わず手を引いた。
I touched the hot water and instinctively pulled my hand back.
姿勢をよくするため、お腹を引いて立ちましょう。
Let's stand with our stomachs pulled in to improve posture.
4To draw a card or mahjong tile from a deck or wall.
山札からカードを一枚引いてください。
Please draw one card from the deck.
最後の一枚を引いて、彼はリーチをかけた。
He drew the last tile and declared he was one tile away from winning.
5To draw a line, blueprint, or plan on paper, as in 「図面を引く」("to draft a blueprint").
設計士が新しい家の図面を引いた。
The designer drafted the blueprint for the new house.
ノートに定規で直線を引く。
Draw a straight line in the notebook with a ruler.
6To catch (a cold) or fall ill; most commonly seen in the set phrase 「風邪を引く」("to catch a cold").
昨夜、薄着で寝たら風邪を引いてしまった。
I slept lightly dressed last night and ended up catching a cold.
冬は風邪を引きやすいので気をつけてください。
It's easy to catch a cold in winter, so please be careful.
彼は毎年必ず一度は風邪を引く。
He catches a cold at least once every year without fail.
7To play a stringed or keyboard instrument, such as the piano or guitar; usually written 弾く.
弟はピアノを弾くのが得意だ。
My younger brother is good at playing the piano.
公園でギターを弾いている人がいた。
There was someone playing the guitar in the park.
8To look up or consult a reference such as a dictionary or phone directory to find needed information, as in 「辞書を引く」("to look up in a dictionary").
分からない漢字は辞書を引いて調べる。
I look up kanji I don't know in a dictionary.
昔は電話番号を電話帳で引いて探した。
In the old days, we looked up phone numbers in a phone directory.
単語を辞書で引いたら、意外な意味が載っていた。
When I looked up the word in the dictionary, it had a surprising meaning.
9To haul or tow a vehicle, cart, or load; often written 牽く in this sense.
トラクターが大きな荷台を牽いて道を進んだ。
The tractor hauled a large trailer down the road.
昔は馬が馬車を引いて人を運んだ。
In the old days, horses pulled carriages to carry people.
10To subtract or deduct a value from a number or amount; commonly used in arithmetic and accounting.
十から四を引くと六になる。
Ten minus four equals six.
割引分を引いた金額をお支払いください。
Please pay the amount with the discount subtracted.
給料から税金を引かれた。
Tax was deducted from my salary.
11For a sound, light, or intensity to gradually weaken and fade away.
遠くの雷の音が徐々に引いていった。
The distant sound of thunder gradually faded away.
部屋の明かりが少しずつ引くように暗くなった。
The light in the room gradually dimmed as if receding.
12To be descended from someone or to inherit a trait, as in 「〜の血を引く」("to have the blood of...").
彼は画家だった祖父の血を引いているのかもしれない。
He may have inherited the artistic blood of his grandfather, who was a painter.
彼女は母親の几帳面な性格を引いている。
She has inherited her mother's meticulous personality.
13To quote or cite a passage from a book or document as an example or piece of evidence.
講演者は有名な詩を引いて説明した。
The speaker quoted a famous poem to explain the point.
レポートでは複数の研究データを引いている。
The report cites data from several studies.
14To lay on or install a utility such as electricity, gas, or water to a building, as in 「電気を引く」("to connect electricity").
新しく建てた小屋に電気を引いた。
We had electricity connected to the newly built shed.
この村にはまだガスを引いていない家がある。
There are still houses in this village that haven't had gas installed.
15To sustain a musical note or sound without interruption.
歌の最後で彼は音を長く引いた。
He held the final note of the song for a long time.
バイオリニストは一つの音を美しく引いてみせた。
The violinist beautifully sustained a single note.
16To apply something thinly to a surface, such as lipstick, oil in a frying pan, or wax on a floor.
出かける前に口紅を引いた。
I applied lipstick before going out.
フライパンに油を引いてから肉を焼く。
I oil the frying pan before cooking the meat.
床にワックスを引いてきれいにした。
I waxed the floor to make it shine.
17For a person or thing to move back or withdraw; sometimes written 退く with the same meaning.
危険を感じて一歩引いた。
Feeling the danger, I stepped back.
敵の部隊が徐々に引いていった。
The enemy troops gradually retreated.
18For swelling, fever, or pain to subside or lessen in degree.
足首の腫れがようやく引いてきた。
The swelling in my ankle has finally started to go down.
薬を飲んだら熱が引いた。
After taking the medicine, the fever went down.
19To resign, retire, or step down from a position; also written 退く.
彼は社長の座を息子に譲り、経営から引いた。
He handed the presidency to his son and stepped back from management.
高齢を理由に現役を引くことを決めた。
He decided to retire from active duty due to his advanced age.
20To be put off, disgusted, or turned off by someone's words or behavior; a casual, colloquial expression.
彼のしつこいアピールに正直ちょっと引いた。
Honestly, his persistent flirting was a bit off-putting.
その冗談は下品すぎて、みんな引いてしまった。
The joke was too crude, and everyone was put off.