How to say "expand" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 膨らむふくらむgodan verb, intransitive verbIntransitive: something gets bigger or swells out by itself — dough rising, a balloon filling, expectations or plans growing. The natural choice when the expansion happens without an agent acting on it.
- 広げるひろげるichidan verb, transitive verbTransitive: spreading, extending or enlarging something — unfolding a map, widening one's knowledge, extending a business. Use it when someone actively expands the scope, area or reach of a thing rather than when it inflates.
- 膨れるふくれるichidan verb, intransitive verbGlossed 'to expand', but in practice it chiefly means to swell out or puff up and is very commonly the word for sulking or pouting. It is seldom the word you want for neutral 'expand'; prefer 膨らむ or 膨らます.
- 膨らますふくらますgodan verb, transitive verbTransitive counterpart of 膨らむ: to make something swell, bulge or become inflated — puffing out one's cheeks, inflating a balloon. Use it when an agent deliberately causes the expansion.
Use 「膨らむ」 for something swelling or growing on its own, 「膨らます」 for making it swell, 「広げる」 for spreading or widening something out, and treat 「膨れる」 with care since it usually means puffing up in sulkiness.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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