引っ繰り返る

ひっくりかえる · hikkurikaeru · JLPT N2 · verb-godan

to topple over

引っ繰り返る = 引く (pull) + 繰る (turn over) + 返る (return): pulled and turned back over, so overturned

引っ繰り返す is the transitive form; 引っ繰り返る is intransitive, meaning to be overturned or to topple. The 引っ prefix intensifies the action.

引 — bow 弓 + vertical stroke 丨
A compound ideograph showing a bow 弓 with a vertical line 丨 representing the drawn bowstring. The original meaning was 'to draw a bow,' which extended to 'pull,' 'lead,' 'guide,' and 'cite.' The vertical stroke depicts the action of pulling the string back.

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