湧く・涌く|わくwaku[0]heiban (flat)
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Which spelling to use
湧く湧く（わく） is the most common written form and the recommended choice for beginners. Use it when writing this verb.
涌く涌く（わく） is a rarely used kanji-and-kana variant, so learners will seldom need to choose it when writing this verb.
Definitions
- godan verb, intransitive verbto well (up); to gush out (of water); to spring out; to surge
- godan verb, intransitive verbto appear (esp. suddenly) (sweat, tears, etc.); to sweat; to cry
- godan verb, intransitive verbto feel emotions (e.g. joy, bravery, etc.); to spring up (e.g. an idea, emotions, clouds); to well up; to arise
- godan verb, intransitive verbto hatch; to breed; to propagate; to be infested (esp. of parasitic insects, etc.)
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 湧く（わく） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 湧きます（わきます） |
| Negative (nai) | 湧かない（わかない） |
| polite (masen) | 湧きません（わきません） |
| classical zu / nu | 湧かず・湧かぬ（わかず・わかぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 湧いた（わいた） |
| polite (mashita) | 湧きました（わきました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 湧かなかった（わかなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 湧きませんでした（わきませんでした） |
| Te form | 湧いて（わいて） |
| Potential | 湧ける（わける） |
| Passive | 湧かれる（わかれる） |
| Causative | 湧かせる（わかせる） |
| Causative passive | 湧かせられる・湧かされる（わかせられる・わかされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 湧けば（わけば） |
| tara | 湧いたら（わいたら） |
| Volitional | 湧こう（わこう） |
| polite (mashou) | 湧きましょう（わきましょう） |
| Imperative | 湧け（わけ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonymこみ上げるこみあげるNeutralFeelings or tears surging upward inside you; also covers feeling sick. 「湧く」 has no nausea sense.
- Synonym沸き起こるわきおこるNeutralApplause or cheers suddenly bursting out; 「湧く」 is the more general term.
- Synonym湧き上がるわきあがるNeutralSurges or boils up from below, and describes cheers rising all around; 「湧く」 is about things welling up from within.
- Synonym湧き出るわきでるNeutralSpring water, tears, or emotions gushing out, with stress on a steady outward flow; 「湧く」 is broader, covering ideas and interest arising too.
- Synonym湧き立つわきたつWrittenClouds or spring water billowing up; leans written/formal. 「湧く」 is the more everyday word.
- Related起こるおこるNeutralSays an event or incident occurs; 「湧く」 pictures water or feelings welling up from within.
- Related発生はっせいNeutralA noun for occurrence or generation, rather formal; 「湧く」 stresses things emerging naturally.
- Related生じるしょうじるWrittenTo arise or be produced; written/formal prose. 「湧く」 keeps the vivid image of something surging up.
- Related生ずるしょうずるWrittenThe literary form of 「生じる」, used in writing; 「湧く」 is the more vivid, figurative choice.
- Related沸き立つわきたつNeutralWater at a rolling boil, or a crowd worked up and excited; 「湧く」 is about welling up from within.
- Related生起せいきWrittenWritten word for events taking place, and rare; say 「起こる」 in ordinary contexts.
- Antonym枯れるかれるNeutralAs 「涸れる」 it means springs and water sources drying up — the opposite of 「湧く」; as 「枯れる」 it mostly means plants withering.
- Antonym消えるきえるNeutralTo disappear or vanish; the opposite of 「湧く」 describing things welling up or coming into being.
Default to 「湧く」 for spring water, feelings, or ideas welling up naturally, as in 「勇気が湧く」「興味が湧く」. Turn to 「こみ上げる」 when emotions surge upward, 「起こる」 for events happening, and 「沸き起こる」 for cheers or applause erupting. The 「湧き-」 compounds add images of surging or gushing, while 「発生」「生じる」「生ずる」「生起」 are formal, written ways to say something occurs.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
