横切る・横ぎる|よこぎるyokogiru[3]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
横切る横切る is the most common written form and the recommended default for beginners. It uses a kanji-and-kana spelling.
横ぎる横ぎる is a less common kanji-and-kana spelling of the same word. You may encounter it, but 横切る is the better default for learners.
Definitions
- godan verb, transitive verbto cross (e.g. road); to traverse
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 横切る（よこぎる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 横切ります（よこぎります） |
| Negative (nai) | 横切らない（よこぎらない） |
| polite (masen) | 横切りません（よこぎりません） |
| classical zu / nu | 横切らず・横切らぬ（よこぎらず・よこぎらぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 横切った（よこぎった） |
| polite (mashita) | 横切りました（よこぎりました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 横切らなかった（よこぎらなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 横切りませんでした（よこぎりませんでした） |
| Te form | 横切って（よこぎって） |
| Potential | 横切れる（よこぎれる） |
| Passive | 横切られる（よこぎられる） |
| Causative | 横切らせる（よこぎらせる） |
| Causative passive | 横切らせられる・横切らされる（よこぎらせられる・よこぎらされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 横切れば（よこぎれば） |
| tara | 横切ったら（よこぎったら） |
| Volitional | 横切ろう（よこぎろう） |
| polite (mashou) | 横切りましょう（よこぎりましょう） |
| Imperative | 横切れ（よこぎれ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym越すこすNeutralTo go over a mountain or get past a season, e.g. 「峠を越す」; 「横切る」 is crossing along a flat surface.
- SynonymわたるNeutralTo cross a river or road to the other side, e.g. 「道を渡る」; the point is reaching the far side, while 「横切る」 stresses the sideways crossing.
- Synonym越えるこえるNeutralTo cross over a border or obstacle, e.g. 「国境を越える」, and also to exceed a quantity; 「横切る」 carries no sense of exceeding.
- Related横断おうだんNeutralA noun (also 「横断する」) for crossing roads or traversing a continent, as in 「横断歩道」; leans formal, while 「横切る」 is the everyday verb.
- Related通り抜けるとおりぬけるNeutralTo pass through the inside of a place and out the other side, e.g. 「路地を通り抜ける」; 「横切る」 focuses on crossing sideways from one side to the other.
- Related通過つうかNeutralTo pass a place without stopping; also used for bills and exams passing, e.g. 「駅を通過する」. It does not single out a sideways path the way 「横切る」 does.
- Related突き抜けるつきぬけるNeutralTo pierce or break through to the other side, e.g. 「屋根を突き抜ける」; 「横切る」 carries no sense of piercing through.
- Related通行つうこうNeutralFor people or vehicles traveling on roads, as in 「通行止め」; it is about traffic flow, not about crossing sideways.
- Related抜けるぬけるNeutralTo pass through somewhere, e.g. 「トンネルを抜ける」, but also to fall out or be omitted; it overlaps with 「横切る」 only in the sense of going through.
- Related通り越すとおりこすNeutralTo go past a place or beyond a limit, e.g. 「家を通り越す」; 「横切る」 carries no sense of overshooting.
- Related通り過ぎるとおりすぎるNeutralTo pass by a place without stopping, e.g. 「目の前を通り過ぎる」; the focus is on going past, while 「横切る」 is about cutting across sideways.
- Related通るとおるNeutralThe most versatile word for passing or going along, e.g. 「この道を通る」; 「横切る」 specifically stresses crossing sideways.
- Related突っ切るつっきるCasualColloquial: to cut straight across an area, e.g. 「公園を突っ切る」; brisker and more decisive than 「横切る」.
- Relatedくぐり抜けるくぐりぬけるNeutralTo duck through a low or narrow gap; figuratively, to struggle through hardship. 「横切る」 has no nuance of squeezing or battling through.
- Related通り抜けとおりぬけNeutralA noun for passing through, as in 「通り抜け禁止」; 「横切る」 is a verb that stresses crossing sideways.
Use 「横切る」 to cross sideways from one side to the other, as in 「公園を横切る」. In formal contexts pick 「横断」, for crossing a road to the far side 「渡る」, for going through the inside of a place 「通り抜ける」, and for cutting straight across 「突っ切る」. 「通過」 and 「通り過ぎる」 simply mean going past, with no stress on a sideways path; 「越す」 and 「越える」 go over; 「通る」 is the general word for passing.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
