How to say "relate" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 物語るものがたるgodan verb, transitive verbCovers 'relate' in the telling sense: to tell a story or give an account of an event or experience. Suits a witness relating what happened, or ruins that relate a town's past.
- 叙するじょするsuru verb (irregular), transitive verbThe narrative sense: to relate, narrate, or describe a course of events. Less common, though; for telling or recounting, 物語る is the word you will usually want.
- 関係つけるかんけいつけるichidan verbThe connective sense: to relate one thing to another, treating them as connected — an effect and its cause, for example. 関連付ける is a close counterpart; this one is less common.
- 叙すじょすgodan verb, transitive verbThe same verb as 叙する in a variant form, with the same meaning: to relate, narrate, or describe. Like 叙する it is less common; 物語る is the usual choice for recounting.
- 関連付けるかんれんづけるichidan verb, transitive verbThe connective sense again: to connect, associate, or correlate things — relating one item to another, as in relating new information to what you already know. Use this or 関係つける for 'relate A to B'.
For 'relate' meaning to tell or recount a story or events, use 「物語る」 (or the less common 「叙する」 or 「叙す」); for 'relate' meaning to connect or associate things, use 「関連付ける」 or 「関係つける」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
