How to say "dig" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 掘るほるgodan verb, transitive verbCovers the basic physical sense of 'to dig' — breaking up and removing earth, or excavating or hollowing something out. This is the everyday verb you want for actually digging a hole, trench, or well.
- 発掘調査はっくつちょうさnoun, suru verbRefers to an excavation, usually archaeological — a 'dig' in the sense of an organized scientific investigation of a site. Use it for digs carried out by researchers, not for casual digging.
- 災害図上訓練さいがいずじょうくんれんnounMeans a disaster simulation exercise, officially abbreviated DIG (disaster imagination game). It matches 'dig' only through this acronym, so it is never the word for digging or for a snide remark.
- ＤＩＧディグnounA name for the disaster imagination game, a disaster simulation exercise. As with the full Japanese name, the connection to 'dig' is the acronym alone; it will not serve as a translation of the verb 'dig'.
- 当てつけあてつけnounCovers the figurative sense of 'a dig' — a snide remark or something done out of spite, an insinuation aimed at someone. Use it for cutting remarks, not for any literal digging.
For the physical sense of digging use 「掘る」; for archaeological excavation 発掘調査 is the term; the disaster-exercise terms 3 and 4 mean 'DIG' as an acronym; 「当てつけ」 covers the figurative sense of a snide dig.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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