How to say "vanish" in Japanese

Choosing the right word
  • 消えるきえるJLPT N5approx.Common
    ichidan verb, intransitive verbThe all-purpose word for vanishing: people and things, lights, sounds, even pain or memories simply disappear or go out of sight. When unsure which word fits, this is the natural default.
    たくさんの虫むしが一いち晩ばんのうちに消きえてしまった。↗
    A lot of insects vanished overnight.
  • 消え去るきえさるCommon
    godan verb, intransitive verbVanish away, with more force than 消える: something disappears completely, as if gone for good. Fits statements stressing that illusions, worries, or memories have faded away entirely.
    水夫すいふたちは海うみのもくずと消え去きえさった。↗
    The sailors perished in the sea.
  • 吹き飛ぶふきとぶCommon
    godan verb, intransitive verbTo vanish as if blown away by wind or a blast. Also the natural choice when worries, doubts, or fears are dispelled — swept away suddenly and completely.
  • 吹っ飛ぶふっとぶCommon
    godan verb, intransitive verbA punchier variant of 吹き飛ぶ, with the same image of something vanishing in an instant as if blasted away. In the sense of 'vanish' it largely overlaps 吹き飛ぶ, with a more explosive feel.

Use 「消える」 for the plain sense of disappearing from sight, 「消え去る」 to stress that something vanishes completely, and 「吹き飛ぶ」 or 「吹っ飛ぶ」 when something vanishes as if blown or blasted away.

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

Japanese equivalents
See also

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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