凍る・氷る|こおるkooru[0]heiban (flat)
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Which spelling to use
凍る凍る（こおる） is the most common mixed kanji-and-kana spelling; use it as the usual written form when learning this word.
氷る氷る（こおる） is a rarely used mixed kanji-and-kana spelling. You may encounter it, but it is not the form beginners generally need to choose.
Definitions
- godan verb, intransitive verbto freeze; to become frozen; to freeze over
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 凍る（こおる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 凍ります（こおります） |
| Negative (nai) | 凍らない（こおらない） |
| polite (masen) | 凍りません（こおりません） |
| classical zu / nu | 凍らず・凍らぬ（こおらず・こおらぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 凍った（こおった） |
| polite (mashita) | 凍りました（こおりました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 凍らなかった（こおらなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 凍りませんでした（こおりませんでした） |
| Te form | 凍って（こおって） |
| Potential | 凍れる（こおれる） |
| Passive | 凍られる（こおられる） |
| Causative | 凍らせる（こおらせる） |
| Causative passive | 凍らせられる・凍らされる（こおらせられる・こおらされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 凍れば（こおれば） |
| tara | 凍ったら（こおったら） |
| Volitional | 凍ろう（こおろう） |
| polite (mashou) | 凍りましょう（こおりましょう） |
| Imperative | 凍れ（こおれ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Transitive / intransitive pair
湖が凍る
湖を凍らす
凍る describes a subject undergoing freezing on its own (湖が凍る), while 凍らす describes an agent actively causing something to freeze (湖を凍らす).
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym凍結とうけつNeutralSuru verb too: covers water freezing and also frozen assets or plans — 「資産凍結」「路面凍結」; leans written rather than everyday speech.
- Synonym凍え付くこごえつくNeutralDescribes a body going numb and stiff with cold so it cannot move; the focus is people freezing, not water or roads.
- Synonym凍てるいてるWrittenWritten, elegant word for freezing over; a winter kigo, so it appears mostly in haiku and seasonal writing.
- Synonym凍てつくいてつくWrittenFreezes right through, with a literary flavor — 「凍てつく寒さ」; not an everyday word.
- Synonym凍みるしみるCasualColloquial with a dialectal ring, heard mainly in the Tōhoku region: water or the ground freezing through.
- Synonym凍りつくこおりつくNeutralFreezes completely or fastens frozen to something; also of people or air going stiff with fear — 「その場の空気が凍りつく」.
- Synonym氷結ひょうけつWrittenWritten-style suru noun for liquids freezing over, as in 「湖が氷結する」.
- Antonym溶けるとけるNeutralThe same verb with a wider range: it also covers dissolving in a liquid; in its melt sense it stands opposite 「凍る」.
Use 「凍る」 for liquids freezing. For freezing solid — or air going stiff with fear — use 「凍りつく」; for frozen assets or icy roads use 「凍結」; for a literary tone use 「凍てつく」. To melt or thaw, use 「溶ける」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
