消し去る|けしさるkeshisaru

Common
Definitions
  1. godan verb, transitive verbto get rid of; to erase; to dispel; to eradicate; to wipe away
Conjugation
Dictionary form消し去る(けしさる)
Polite (masu)消し去ります(けしさります)
Negative (nai)消し去らない(けしさらない)
polite (masen)消し去りません(けしさりません)
classical zu / nu消し去らず・消し去らぬ(けしさらず・けしさらぬ)
Past (ta)消し去った(けしさった)
polite (mashita)消し去りました(けしさりました)
Past negative (nakatta)消し去らなかった(けしさらなかった)
polite (masen deshita)消し去りませんでした(けしさりませんでした)
Te form消し去って(けしさって)
Potential消し去れる(けしされる)
Passive消し去られる(けしさられる)
Causative消し去らせる(けしさらせる)
Causative passive消し去らせられる・消し去らされる(けしさらせられる・けしさらされる)
Conditional (ba)消し去れば(けしされば)
tara消し去ったら(けしさったら)
Volitional消し去ろう(けしさろう)
polite (mashou)消し去りましょう(けしさりましょう)
Imperative消し去れ(けしされ)

Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.

Synonyms & antonyms
  • Synonym消すけすNeutralThe everyday workhorse: erase, cross out, turn off, put out. Covers a very broad range but lacks the sense of wiping something out completely that 「消し去る」 has.
  • SynonymなくすNeutralNeutral transitive: to lose something or make it nonexistent, as in 「差別をなくす」. Broader and plainer than the thorough erasing of 「消し去る」.
  • Synonym拭き消すふきけすNeutralRare: to wipe something away clean with a hand or cloth. More physical and concrete than 「消し去る」, which also covers figurative erasing.
  • Synonym拭い去るぬぐいさるWrittenWritten style; can mean wiping off dirt, but is mostly used figuratively for clearing away anxiety or doubt, as in 「不安を拭い去る」.
  • Related消えるきえるNeutralThe everyday intransitive: to disappear. Focuses on something going away by itself; no sense of a person deliberately wiping it out as with 「消し去る」.
  • RelatedなくなるNeutralNeutral: to be gone, lost or used up. Describes the state of something no longer existing — a natural result, not an act of erasing it.
  • Related消滅しょうめつFormalFormal: a thing or a right ceases to exist. Covers both natural dying out and deliberate annihilation; a formal-register word rather than an everyday verb like 「消し去る」.
  • Related消失しょうしつFormalFormal and intransitive: something disappears from a scene or from records. It reports the vanishing itself rather than someone actively erasing it.
  • Related消去しょうきょFormalFormal, technical: erasing data or eliminating variables in math. The standard term for deletion in computing contexts.
  • Related吹き飛ぶふきとぶNeutralNeutral intransitive: to be blown away, or for worries to vanish in an instant. Leans toward feelings being swept off, not deliberate erasing.
  • Related取り除くとりのぞくNeutralNeutral: to remove something that is in the way. The obstacle is taken away, but there is no nuance of it vanishing completely.
  • Related除去じょきょFormalFormal: to clear away something harmful or unwanted, as in 「除去作業」. Common in technical and scientific contexts.
  • Related吹っ飛ぶふっとぶCasualColloquial intransitive: to be blown off, or for plans to fall through in an instant. Casual speech, not deliberate erasing.
  • Related削除さくじょFormalFormal: to delete part of a text or data on a device, as in 「データを削除」. The everyday word for deleting files and passages.
  • Related消え失せるきえうせるCasualColloquial intransitive: to vanish. Not about actively erasing something. The imperative 「消え失せろ」 is a rude way to tell someone to get lost.
  • Related掻き消えるかききえるWrittenWritten style, intransitive: a sound, light or smell suddenly vanishes without a trace. Describes things fading away on their own, not deliberate erasing.
  • Related失せるうせるWrittenWritten-style intransitive: to vanish or leave. Can carry a rough edge — 「失せろ」 is a brusque 'get lost'. It is not about erasing something.
  • Related失せ去るうせさるWrittenRare written word, intransitive: a person or figure disappears from sight. Focuses on someone leaving, not on erasing anything.
  • Related拭き取るふきとるNeutralNeutral and concrete: to wipe off stains or moisture with a cloth or paper. A physical cleaning action, not the figurative erasing of 「消し去る」.
  • Related雲隠れくもがくれWrittenWritten word: the moon slipping behind clouds, or a person suddenly going into hiding. About concealing oneself, not erasing something.
  • Related消散しょうさんFormalFormal and rare: to disperse or dissipate like mist. Suits technical or literary descriptions of something scattering and vanishing.
  • Related消除しょうじょFormalFormal but rare: removal or deletion. Few examples in actual use, and it sounds stiffer than 「消し去る」.
  • Related取り去るとりさるWrittenWritten style: to take something away or remove it. More literary than 「取り除く」, with the same focus on carrying something off.

Use 「消し去る」 to wipe something out completely — a memory, a trace, an anxiety, as in 「記憶を消し去る」. For everyday erasing or switching things off, 「消す」 is the default; for something disappearing by itself, 「消える」. To dispel anxiety figuratively, pick 「拭い去る」; for deleting data or text, 「削除」; for removing what is in the way, 「取り除く」. The rest are rarer, more formal or narrower.

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

Japanese definitions
  1. すっかり消けしてなくす。消去しょうきょする。
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also

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