# 触れる



## graysesame

皮膚の下に異常なしこりや腫瘤がないか探してください。指先を少しずつずらしながら、一円玉くらいの狭い範囲を重ね合わせながら触れて行きます。指先のずらし方には、上下法、回転法、放射状法があります。いずれか一つの方法を選んで*乳房全体を触れて*ください。(Aを触れる→touch A)
*お手を触れぬ*ようお願いいたします。(Aを触れる→ use A to touch)
It seems that を触れる can be either of the two means. Shall we tell its meaning by the context or there is strong dependency that the preceding A determines the meaning of "を触れる"?

Also, このこと に/を 意図的に触れていない (intentionally didn't mention this thing). Are both に and を interchangeable?


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## taked4700

Hi,
I guess that "を" always carries a nuance that what you are concerned about or what you are paying attention to. 
The primary meaning of "を" is an object marker, which suggests that which thing you choose as an object.  In other words, you pay attention to something and then you choose it as the object of your move.

So what you said in OP is not right.

*お手を触れぬ*ようお願いいたします。(Aを触れる→ use A to touch)
*"お手" is a polite form meaning a hand, which particularly signifies the hand of the person you are speaking to. So it means to not touch with your hand.*

But
*手を触れぬ*ようお願いいたします
can mean "Please pay attention not to touch the hand (of someone else) with your hand.

このこと に/を 意図的に触れていない
both に and を are idiomatic and mean the same thing in that context.

But for example,
リンゴに触れていない
is idiomatic while
リンゴを触れていない
is not idiomatic.
I guess that this is because リンゴ just means apples in general so that 
このリンゴに触れていない
is idiomatic.  You know that このリンゴ means the specific apple.

"このこと に/を 意図的に触れていない" is used after you have already mentioned several things and then you want to ask readers to pay attention to what thing remains unmentioned, which implies that the scope has already been limited.  In other words,  このこと に/を 意図的に触れていない" means something that should have been mentioned already is intentionally not yet mentioned.  So the thing that remains unmentioned needs to be something relevant to things already mentioned.


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## graysesame

I might haven't explained it clearly in the OP. I meat "*Aを触れる*" seems to have at least two meanings, "*touch A*" (e.g. *乳房を触れる*, touch the breasts) and "*use A to touch*" (e.g. (*飾りに*)*お手を触れぬ*ようお願い致します, please do not use your hands to touch (the decoration), or in another expression, please do not touch (the decoration) with your hands).
The above is for physical touching.

このことに/を意図的に触れていない here 触れる means "mention," an abstract action. It should be treated separately with physical touching, e.g.リンゴに触れる, and


taked4700 said:


> リンゴに触れていない
> is idiomatic while
> リンゴを触れていない
> is not idiomatic.
> I guess that this is because リンゴ just means apples in general so that
> このリンゴに触れていない
> is idiomatic. You know that このリンゴ means the specific apple.


Do you imply "このリンゴを触れる" is idiomatic? My intuition is "このリンゴを触れる" is non-idiomatic.


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## taked4700

このことに/を意図的に触れていない 
is referring to someone having not mentioned this thing, so it does not mean physical touching.

リンゴを触れていない
means that someone including you have not mentioned apples in general, it does not  mean physical movements.

 このリンゴに触れていない
means that that someone including you have mentioned this particular apple, it does not  mean physical movements.

I guess that you are right.
"このリンゴを触れる" is not idiomatic even when referring to physical movement.  It is also not idiomatic in mentioning context.

"を" is an object marker, which would mean that in "このリンゴを触れる" this apple is the object and the verb is touch.  But in Japanese to touch is usually recognised as a movement from one place to somewhere.  When you touch something, you move your hand toward that something.  When mentioning your attention moves toward the thing that will be mentioned.  So "触れる" usually takes "へ" or "に" as object markers.

"このリンゴに触れる" is idiomatic in both abstract and physical contexts.


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## taked4700

But "リンゴを触れていない" could be idiomatic in a particular context such as:
This writer has referred to ten kinds of fruits.  But s/he has not referred to apples. 
この 著者は10種類の果物について触れています。 しかし リンゴを触れていません。
This means the writer has forgotten to refer to apples and "忘れる" usually takes "を" as an object marker.
I guess even in the above context, 
リンゴ  に/へ  触れていません。would be more idiomatic.


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## SoLaTiDoberman

乳房全体*を　*手*で　*触れてください。
作品*に　*手*を　*触れないでください/触れてください。

If you think of the abbreviated part, it may help you to understand the difference of the syntax.

I think that the second one is rather a special usage, and it may be weird for non-native speakers who "think" of its grammar.
Native speakers don't think it weird maybe just because it's an idiomatic expression and they have been hearing it since they are babies.

For example,
作品*の*手*を*触れないでください。means "you should not touch the hand of the statue (by your hands)."　It's the same as the first sentence usage.
作品の手を（あなたの手で）触れないでください。


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## graysesame

taked4700さん、SoLaTiDobermanさん、詳しい説明ありがとうございます。

「接触する、触る」を表す「～に触れる」と「～を触れる」との違いについては、
「～に／を触る」の差異と同じように、
「～に触れる」は接触までの動作に視点が向けられていて、
「～を触れる」は、接触及びその後の動きに視点が向けられていると思います。

言及するを表す「触れる」は、「に」も「を」も使えます。ただし、「に」の方が多いです。

指を触れる、手を触れるなどを慣用表現のように考えると良いです。


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## thetazuo

十香はその場に座ったまま、不思議そうな顔をして、唇に指を触れさせていた。

Hi. The context is 十香 touched her lips with her finger. So why not just say 唇に指を触れていた since 触れる can be a transitive verb? Why is causative form used here?

Thank you.


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## Flaminius

唇に指を触れる is not ungrammatical, but this construction seldom takes an apparent subject.  The common pattern of the verb is either;
a. N1-ga N2-ni fureru or,
b. N1-ga N2-o fureru.

In the current construction, the subject of 触れる is the _o_-marked _yubi_.  The causative _-saseru_ needs one more subject, the causer.  In this sentence it must be Jukkyō, who is siting.


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## thetazuo

Thank you!


Flaminius said:


> In the current construction, the *subject* of 触れる is the _o_-marked _yubi_.


Shouldn’t the 指 be object of 触れる?


Flaminius said:


> In this sentence it must be Jukkyō, who is siting.


I didn’t know we could pronounce 十香 like that. In this novel, it is とうか.


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