How to say "drown" in Japanese

• 紛らすまぎらすCommon
  godan verb, transitive verbCovers only the idiomatic 'drown one's sorrows' — diverting or distracting the mind from sorrow or boredom — never literal drowning in water. It is the common word for this idiom.
  長ながい旅行りょこうの退屈たいくつをミステリーを読よんで紛まぎらした。↗

  I distracted myself from the boredom of my long journey by reading mysteries.
• 溺らすおぼらす
  godan verb, transitive verbA less common transitive verb: to drown someone or something, rather than to drown oneself. Seldom the word you want for simply saying that a person drowned.
• 溺れ込むおぼれこむ
  godan verbIntransitive: to drown, and figuratively to get addicted or become infatuated. A less common word, covering both literal drowning and the sense of sinking into addiction or infatuation.
• 溺れ死ぬおぼれしぬ
  godan verb, intransitive verbThe most explicit choice for literal drowning: to die by drowning. Use it when the drowning is fatal, since the death is stated outright.
  乗組員のりくみいんの何人なんにんかは溺れ死おぼれしんだ。↗

  Some of the crew were drowned.
• 紛らわすまぎらわす
  godan verb, transitive verbA less common variant of 紛らす with the same senses: to divert or distract the mind, to relieve sorrow or boredom — hence the idiomatic 'drown one's sorrows'. Not for literal drowning.
  彼女かのじょは様々さまざまの不安ふあんから気きを紛まぎらわせることができた。↗

  She could divert herself from the anxieties.

Literal drowning in water is covered by 「溺れ死ぬ」, which makes the death explicit, and 「溺れ込む」; transitive 「溺らす」 is for drowning someone or something. For the idiom 'drown one's sorrows', use the common 「紛らす」 or its less common variant 「紛らわす」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 紛らすまぎらすto divert (e.g. one's mind)
• 溺らすおぼらすto drown
• 溺れ込むおぼれこむto drown
• 溺れ死ぬおぼれしぬto die by drowning
• 紛らわすまぎらわすto divert (e.g. one's mind)
• 紛らせるまぎらせるto divert (e.g. one's mind)
• 溺れるおぼれるto struggle in the water