How to say "become" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- godan verb, intransitive verbThe default verb for a change of state or status: a person taking up a job, the weather turning cold, a situation getting serious. Start here unless a special nuance is needed.
- 似合うにあうgodan verb, intransitive verbNot a verb of change: it matches 'become' only in the older English sense 'to suit', as when a color becomes someone. For any change of state this is not the word.
- expression, godan verbA formal or literary counterpart of なる, found in writing and formal statement. It presents a change as a settled result or outcome; in ordinary speech なる does this job.
- 化するかするsuru verb (irregular), transitive verb, intransitive verbFor a marked transformation: something changing into something else in form or nature. Use it for 'turn into' or 'transform into', not for the plain change of state covered by なる.
- 化すかすgodan verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbA shorter variant of 化する with the same meaning: to change into, to transform into, to become. Nothing in sense separates the two; either conveys a transformation into something else.
Choose 「なる」 for ordinary change of state, 「となる」 for formal or written statements of a resulting state, 「化する」 or 「化す」 for a transformation into something else, and 「似合う」 only for the old sense 'to suit'.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- なるto become
- 似合うにあうto suit
- となるto become
- 化するかするto change (into)
- 化すかすto change (into)
- 付くづくto become (a state, condition, etc.)
- 相成るあいなるto become
- 成り変わるなりかわるto change
- くるto come to be
- 赴くおもむくto become
- なりすますto (completely) become
- 付くつくto become (a state, condition, etc.)
- 走るはしるto go (e.g. bad, to extremes)
- 込むこむto become (completely)
See also
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