How to say "snap" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- ichidan verb, intransitive verbFor a string, thread, wire, or rubber band suddenly breaking or snapping apart, often under tension. The thing that snaps is the subject of the verb.
- godan verb, transitive verbCovers the physical action of flicking or snapping something with a finger — a quick, sharp movement, as when you flip a small object away. Usually written in kana alone.
- 折れるおれるichidan verb, intransitive verbFor stiff, rigid things breaking or snapping in two: a branch, a pencil, a bone. The snap here is something hard fracturing, not a cord parting.
- nounA noun for the technical sports sense: the crisp snap of the wrist in baseball pitching or a golf swing. It is not the word for things breaking or snapping apart.
- 鳴らすならすgodan verb, transitive verbIts basic senses are to ring or sound something, but this is the verb for snapping your fingers, as in 指を鳴らす. For other senses of 'snap' it is not what you want.
Use 「きれる」 for strings and cords snapping apart, 「折れる」 for rigid things like branches or bones, 「はじく」 for flicking something with a finger, 「鳴らす」 for snapping the fingers, and 「スナップ」 for the wrist snap in sports.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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