淘汰|とうたtouta[1]atamadaka (head-high)
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- noun, suru verb, transitive verbweeding out; elimination (e.g. of unneeded employees); culling; selection
- noun, suru verb, transitive verb, biologyselection
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 淘汰する(とうたする) |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 淘汰します(とうたします) |
| Negative (nai) | 淘汰しない(とうたしない) |
| polite (masen) | 淘汰しません(とうたしません) |
| classical zu / nu | 淘汰せず・淘汰せぬ(とうたせず・とうたせぬ) |
| Past (ta) | 淘汰した(とうたした) |
| polite (mashita) | 淘汰しました(とうたしました) |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 淘汰しなかった(とうたしなかった) |
| polite (masen deshita) | 淘汰しませんでした(とうたしませんでした) |
| Te form | 淘汰して(とうたして) |
| Potential | 淘汰できる(とうたできる) |
| Passive | 淘汰される(とうたされる) |
| Causative | 淘汰させる(とうたさせる) |
| Causative passive | 淘汰させられる(とうたさせられる) |
| Conditional (ba) | 淘汰すれば(とうたすれば) |
| tara | 淘汰したら(とうたしたら) |
| Volitional | 淘汰しよう(とうたしよう) |
| polite (mashou) | 淘汰しましょう(とうたしましょう) |
| Imperative | 淘汰しろ(とうたしろ) |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
- SynonymふるいにかけるNeutralAn idiom meaning to sieve, figuratively to screen candidates strictly; 「淘汰」 stresses the ones being sifted out.
- Synonymふるい落とすふるいおとすNeutralMeans sifting out or rejecting candidates; close to 「淘汰」 in sense, and more colloquial.
- Synonym篩うふるうWrittenWritten/formal: to sieve, also figuratively to pick out; 「篩にかける」 is the version built on the noun 「篩」.
- SynonymよなげるWrittenWritten/formal: to wash out impurities by rinsing or shaking; used very rarely.
- Related選別せんべつWrittenThe same word 「選別」 as above: sorting by standards, which can also mean culling; 「淘汰」 stresses dropping the inferior.
- Related選考せんこうWrittenWritten/formal: examining people or works and choosing among them, as in 「書類選考」; the focus is on picking the suitable ones, not dropping the rest.
- Related選り分けるよりわけるNeutralColloquial: to pick out and sort; 「淘汰」 stresses the survival-of-the-fittest side.
- Related選び出すえらびだすNeutralTo pick out; the focus is on those chosen, while 「淘汰」 centers on those eliminated.
- Related間引くまびくNeutralTo thin out seedlings or trim schedules; figuratively removing what is surplus.
- Relatedふるい分けるふるいわけるNeutralTo sieve things apart, figuratively to sort and pick; 「淘汰」 stresses weeding out the inferior.
- RelatedスクリーニングNeutralA loanword for screening; typical of medical checkups and first-round hiring screening.
- Antonym選抜せんばつWrittenWritten/formal: selecting the excellent; it spotlights those chosen, 「淘汰」 those culled — two sides of one process.
Use 「淘汰」 when the inferior are weeded out in nature or the market, as in 「自然淘汰」. To screen candidates, use 「篩に掛ける」, or 「選考」 for examining and choosing suitable ones; 「選抜」 picks out the best — the other side of 「淘汰」. The rest are for sorting or sifting, focused on those kept or those dropped.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only


