干る・乾る|ひるhiru[1]atamadaka (head-high)
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Which spelling to use
干る干る is the more common written form and the recommended choice for beginners; use it when writing the word.
乾る乾る is a less common written variant of 干る; learners are more likely to encounter 干る and should generally choose it instead.
Definitions
- ichidan verb, intransitive verbto dry (up); to become parched
- ichidan verb, intransitive verbto ebb; to recede
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 干る（ひる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 干ます（ひます） |
| Negative (nai) | 干ない（ひない） |
| polite (masen) | 干ません（ひません） |
| classical zu / nu | 干ず・干ぬ（ひず・ひぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 干た（ひた） |
| polite (mashita) | 干ました（ひました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 干なかった（ひなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 干ませんでした（ひませんでした） |
| Te form | 干て（ひて） |
| Potential | 干られる（ひられる） |
| Passive | 干られる（ひられる） |
| Causative | 干させる（ひさせる） |
| Causative passive | 干させられる（ひさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 干れば（ひれば） |
| tara | 干たら（ひたら） |
| Volitional | 干よう（ひよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 干ましょう（ひましょう） |
| Imperative | 干ろ（ひろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym乾くかわくNeutralThe everyday, most versatile word for getting dry, as in 「洗濯物が乾く」; 「干る」 is old-fashioned written prose, found mostly in 「潮が干る」.
- Synonym枯渇こかつWrittenWritten/formal prose for water sources, resources or talent running dry; stresses resource exhaustion, while 「干る」 stresses drying.
- Synonym乾びるからびるNeutralLosing all moisture and shrivelling up; the stress is on withering, while 「干る」 stresses drying out or the tide receding.
- Synonym涸れるかれるNeutralSprings and ponds running dry, also figuratively for talent or resources; stresses a water source emptying, while 「干る」 can also mean the tide ebbing.
- Related乾燥かんそうNeutralA Sino-Japanese word for dryness, also figuratively dull as in 「無味乾燥」; common in daily speech too, e.g. 「空気が乾燥する」.
- Related尽きるつきるNeutralMeans being used up or exhausted; the focus is on consumption and it is not limited to water, while 「干る」 covers only moisture drying or the ebb.
- Antonym濡れるぬれるNeutralThe antonym: getting wet or soaked; it is the opposite of 「干る」, which is about water receding or moisture drying away.
「干る」 is old-fashioned: it means drying up or the tide receding, seen mostly in 「潮が干る」 and 「干上がる」. In everyday speech use 「乾く」; for springs or ponds running dry use 「涸れる」, for resources running out 「枯渇」; the opposite is 「濡れる」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
- かわく。
- 潮が引く。
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
