沈む|しずむshizumu[0]heiban (flat)
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Definitions
- godan verb, intransitive verbto sink; to go under; to submerge
- godan verb, intransitive verbto go down (e.g. sun); to set; to descend
- godan verb, intransitive verbto feel depressed; to become subdued; to become somber
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 沈む（しずむ） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 沈みます（しずみます） |
| Negative (nai) | 沈まない（しずまない） |
| polite (masen) | 沈みません（しずみません） |
| classical zu / nu | 沈まず・沈まぬ（しずまず・しずまぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 沈んだ（しずんだ） |
| polite (mashita) | 沈みました（しずみました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 沈まなかった（しずまなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 沈みませんでした（しずみませんでした） |
| Te form | 沈んで（しずんで） |
| Potential | 沈める（しずめる） |
| Passive | 沈まれる（しずまれる） |
| Causative | 沈ませる（しずませる） |
| Causative passive | 沈ませられる・沈まされる（しずませられる・しずまされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 沈めば（しずめば） |
| tara | 沈んだら（しずんだら） |
| Volitional | 沈もう（しずもう） |
| polite (mashou) | 沈みましょう（しずみましょう） |
| Imperative | 沈め（しずめ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Transitive / intransitive pair
船が沈む
船を沈める
沈む focuses on the event or resulting state, as in 船が沈む; 沈める foregrounds the agent acting on something, as in 船を沈める.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym沈没ちんぼつNeutralNeutral noun, also 「沈没する」; typically ships going down, informally also drinking oneself into a stupor. 「沈む」 is broader, covering sunsets and low spirits too.
- Synonym沈下ちんかNeutralNeutral noun for ground or land sinking, as in 「地盤沈下」. 「沈む」 is the broader everyday verb.
- Synonym没するぼっするWrittenWritten/formal prose: to sink or vanish, and also to pass away. In everyday speech use 「沈む」 or 「亡くなる」.
- Related沈降ちんこうWrittenWritten/formal prose term for strata sinking or matter settling out; common in geology and medicine, as in 「赤血球沈降速度」. 「沈む」 is the everyday verb.
- Antonym浮かぶうかぶNeutralNeutral antonym on the rise-and-sink axis: to float up or rise to the surface, and also to come to mind.
- Antonym浮くうくNeutralNeutral antonym on the rise-and-sink axis: to float free of the bottom, and also to feel light-hearted and cheerful.
- Antonym上がるあがるNeutralNeutral antonym on the rise-and-sink axis: to rise or go up, as the sun rising.
Use 「沈む」 for sinking in water, the sun setting, and low spirits. For ships use 「沈没」, for ground subsidence 「沈下」, for geological or medical sedimentation 「沈降」. Antonyms: 「浮かぶ」, 「浮く」, 「上がる」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
