To Feel Shy
To Blush, To Be Bashful
intransitive verb, ichidan verb
Your feel as if your cheeks are illuminated when you start to feel shy. Probably illuminated in red, which is why this also means to blush.
照れる means to be bashful, often in situations where the embarrassment stems from modesty rather than serious discomfort. It's used to describe feeling self-conscious in an endearing way, such as blushing due to praise, attention, or being teased in a lighthearted manner.
Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with this kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you: The thing you feel the most embarrassed about is your 手 (て). It's all blue and scary looking.
えっ、有り難う。照れるなぁ。
Oh, thank you. I'm blushing!
照れる彼の表情がとても可愛かったんです。
His bashful expression was so cute.
友達に「お前、かっこいいな」って言われて、思わず照れちゃった。
My friend said, "You're looking cool," and I couldn't help but blush.
週末のお見合いでは、相手が照れてばっかりいて全然会話がはずまなかった。
At the matchmaking arrangement this weekend, the other party was so shy that the conversation just didn't flow.