告る (Kokuru) Meaning “Confess Your Feelings to Your Crush” in Japanese

Pronunciation

Definition

告る (こくる, kokuru)  is an abbreviation of “告白こくはくする (こくはく する, kokuhaku suru)”, meaning “confess your feeling to your crush”. The abbreviation sounds more casual and is often used among teenagers. For instance,  “来月らいげつの修学しゅうがく旅行りょこうでゆみに告るわ！” means “I will confess my feelings for Yumi on the school trip next month!”.

General Definition of 告白する

告白する generally means “confess (something)”, and it is not limited to confessing one’s feelings. For instance, “真実しんじつを告白する” and “秘密ひみつを告白する” mean “confess the truth” and “confess the secret”, respectively. However, when used as “~に告白する” meaning “confess to ~”, it usually means to confess your feeling to someone you like.

When people kokuru in Japan

Japanese people usually confess their feelings to their crush before they get into a relationship. Some surveys on the internet show that about 50 % of women in Japan want their potential partners to kokuru them on the 3rd date (as in, they think 1st/2nd date is a bit too early).

Example Sentences

Ex1
まいに告ったら、無事ぶじ振ふられた
I confessed my feelings for Mai and “successfully” got rejected.

(Note) “無事 (ぶじ)” usually means “without any trouble”, but sometimes it is used as self-deprecating sarcasm.

Ex2
好すきな人ひとに告るのはかなり勇気ゆうきがいる。
It requires a lot of courage to confess your feelings to someone you like.

See also

合コン (gōkon) and 街コン (machikon): Japanese Dating Culture

Synonyms: 告白こくはくする (confess), 気持きもちを伝つたえる (tell one’s feelings to someone)
Synonyms in English: confess to someone
Related words and phrases: 告白する