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コツをつかむ (to get the hang of something)

Grammar & Usage

idiomatic verb phrase

neutral

How it works

Consists of the noun コツ (knack/trick) followed by the accusative object marker を (o) and the Godan verb つかむ (to grasp/seize). Inflections follow the final verb つかむ (e.g., つかんだ in past tense, つかめない in negative potential). Often preceded by a noun + の or a clause describing the skill being acquired.

Sample sentences

何度も練習するうちに、自転車に乗るコツをつかんだ。

After practicing many times, I got the hang of riding a bicycle.

最初は難しかったが、一度コツをつかめば簡単にできるよ。

It was difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it, you can do it easily.

彼女は新しい業務のコツをつかむのがとても早い。

She is very quick at getting the hang of new tasks.

Quick facts

orthography:コツ is usually written in katakana (or hiragana こつ); kanji 骨 is rarely used for this sense. つかむ is often written in hiragana or as 掴む.

verb_conjugation:Godan verb (五段活用・マ行)

particle_variation:In potential or negative forms, を can change to が (e.g., コツがつかめない).

Often used with

仕事のコツをつかむ (to get the hang of work)

運転のコツをつかむ (to get the hang of driving)

なかなかコツがつかめない (having a hard time getting the hang of it)

すぐにコツをつかむ (to catch on quickly)

コツを教える (to teach the knack/trick)

Mnemonic

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Example

何度も練習するうちに、自転車に乗るコツをつかんだ。

After practicing many times, I got the hang of riding a bicycle.

最初は難しかったが、一度コツをつかめば簡単にできるよ。

It was difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it, you can do it easily.