する動詞 VIII

戦時せんじ中ちゅうは地方ちほうに疎開そかいしていた。

During the war we were evacuated to the countryside.

Usage 〜に疎開する — being evacuated from the cities to the country. Bound up with memories of the Second World War. The same 疎 as 疎外 and 疎通. Read そかい.

Remember it 疎 (thin out) + 開 (spread apart) → the population thinned out and spread away.

全ぜん区間くかんを走破そうはした。

He covered the entire course.

Usage 〜を走破する — running the whole distance. Transitive. Built like 踏破, covering it on foot. Read そうは.

Remember it 走 (run) + 破 (get through) → running it right through to the end.

警備けいび体制たいせいを増強ぞうきょうした。

They reinforced the security arrangements.

Usage 〜を増強する — strengthening in numbers and in force at once. Transitive. Objects: 戦力, 体制, 設備. Read ぞうきょう.

Remember it 増 (increase) + 強 (strengthen) → more of it, and stronger with it.

二者にしゃ択一たくいつを迫せまられた。

I was forced to choose between the two.

Usage 二者択一 — a choice between two — is the four-character compound and effectively the only use. 択 is to choose. Read たくいつ.

Remember it 択 (choose) + 一 (one) → one chosen out of the set.

話はなしが脱線だっせんしてしまった。

The talk went off on a tangent.

Usage A train derailing; and the N1 sense 話が脱線する, digressing. INTRANSITIVE. The second is commoner in everyday use. Read だっせん.

Remember it 脱 (come off) + 線 (the rails) → off the rails it was running on.

真理しんりの探究たんきゅうに生涯しょうがいを捧ささげた。

He devoted his life to the pursuit of truth.

Usage 〜を探究する — investigating in order to understand. The same family as 追究. Do not confuse 探求 (たんきゅう), searching in order to obtain. Read たんきゅう.

Remember it 探 (search) + 究 (get to the bottom) → searching down to the bottom of it.

不正ふせいな蓄財ちくざいが明あきるみに出でた。

Illicitly amassed wealth came to light.

Usage 蓄財する, 不正蓄財 — amassing wealth, ill-gotten gains. Usually negative in tone. The same 蓄 as 蓄え. Read ちくざい.

Remember it 蓄 (store up) + 財 (wealth) → wealth stored up and kept.

煙けむりで窒息ちっそくしそうになった。

I nearly suffocated in the smoke.

Usage 窒息する, 窒息死 — suffocating, death by suffocation. INTRANSITIVE. Also figurative: 窒息しそうな職場, a stifling workplace. Read ちっそく.

Remember it 窒 (block) + 息 (breath) → the breath blocked.

部隊ぶたいが国境こっきょう付近ふきんに駐屯ちゅうとんしている。

The unit is garrisoned near the border.

Usage 〜に駐屯する, 駐屯地 — being garrisoned, a garrison. INTRANSITIVE. Close to 駐留, but 駐屯 stresses the fixed camp. Read ちゅうとん.

Remember it 駐 (station) + 屯 (encamp) → stationed there in camp.

会費かいひを毎月まいつき徴収ちょうしゅうする。

The membership fee is collected monthly.

Usage 〜を徴収する — collecting fees or taxes. Transitive, and the agent has the authority to collect. 源泉徴収 is withholding at source. Read ちょうしゅう.

Remember it 徴 (levy) + 収 (take in) → levied and taken in.

住民じゅうみんが市しに陳情ちんじょうした。

Residents petitioned the city.

Usage 〜に陳情する — putting a request to an authority. Note the に. The same 陳 as 陳謝 and 陳列. Read ちんじょう.

Remember it 陳 (set forth) + 情 (the circumstances) → setting your circumstances before them.

古典こてん文学ぶんがくに通暁つうぎょうしている。

He is well versed in classical literature.

Usage 〜に通暁する — knowing a field through and through. Note the に. Formal written style. 暁 is daybreak, hence clarity. Read つうぎょう.

Remember it 通 (pass through) + 暁 (dawn, clarity) → knowing it right through, and clearly.

集中しゅうちゅう力りょくが低下ていかしている。

My concentration is falling off.

Usage 〜が低下する — declining in degree or quality. INTRANSITIVE. Its opposite is 向上. Distinct from 減少, a fall in quantity. Read ていか.

Remember it 低 (low) + 下 (down) → going lower.

損害そんがい賠償ばいしょうを求もとめて提訴ていそした。

They filed suit seeking damages.

Usage 〜を提訴する — bringing an action in court. Legal vocabulary. 提 is to submit and 訴 a suit. Read ていそ.

Remember it 提 (submit) + 訴 (suit) → the suit submitted to the court.

違法いほう看板かんばんが撤去てっきょされた。

The illegal signboards were removed.

Usage 〜を撤去する — dismantling and taking away. Transitive, often passive. The same 撤 as 撤廃 and 撤収. Read てっきょ.

Remember it 撤 (withdraw) + 去 (remove) → taken down and carried off.

来月らいげつ大阪おおさか支社ししゃに転任てんにんする。

I transfer to the Osaka branch next month.

Usage 〜に転任する — moving to another post. INTRANSITIVE. Close to 転勤, but 転任 stresses the change of position. Read てんにん.

Remember it 転 (shift) + 任 (post) → shifted into a different post.

政治せいじ犯はんとして投獄とうごくされた。

He was imprisoned as a political offender.

Usage 〜を投獄する — throwing into prison. Transitive, and nearly always passive. Historical in flavour. Read とうごく.

Remember it 投 (throw) + 獄 (prison) → thrown into the prison.

目標もくひょう金額きんがくに到達とうたつした。

We reached the target amount.

Usage 〜に到達する — reaching, attaining. Note the に. More formal than 着く. 到達点 is the point reached. Read とうたつ.

Remember it 到 (arrive) + 達 (attain) → arrived at and attained.

特筆とくひつすべき成果せいかはなかった。

There were no results worth special mention.

Usage 特筆すべき — deserving special mention — is almost the only form. 特筆に値する means worth remarking on. Read とくひつ.

Remember it 特 (special) + 筆 (brush) → worth taking up the brush for on its own account.

党とう内ないの内紛ないふんが表面ひょうめん化かした。

Internal strife within the party came into the open.

Usage 内紛が起きる, 内紛が表面化する — internal conflict arising or surfacing. The same 紛 as 紛糾 and 紛失. Read ないふん.

Remember it 内 (inside) + 紛 (disorder) → the trouble that comes from inside the house.

自宅じたくに軟禁なんきん状態じょうたいだった。

He was under house arrest.

Usage 軟禁する, 軟禁状態 — house arrest. Distinct from 監禁, close imprisonment: 軟 is soft, so this is the lighter confinement. Read なんきん.

Remember it 軟 (soft) + 禁 (confine) → confined, but softly.

新しん部長ぶちょうに任命にんめいされた。

I was appointed the new department head.

Usage 〜に任命する / される — appointing to a post. Note that に marks the post. Same family as 任免 and 就任. Read にんめい.

Remember it 任 (post) + 命 (order) → ordered into the post.

権力けんりょくを長ながく把持はじしてきた。

He has long held on to power.

Usage 〜を把持する — gripping and not letting go. Formal written style, rare in speech. 把 is to grasp. Read はじ.

Remember it 把 (grasp) + 持 (hold) → grasped, and kept hold of.

輸送ゆそう中ちゅうに破損はそんしたらしい。

It seems to have been damaged in transit.

Usage 〜が破損する — being damaged or broken. INTRANSITIVE. The subject is a physical object. More formal than 壊れる. Read はそん.

Remember it 破 (break) + 損 (damage) → broken, and the worse for it.

労働ろうどう者しゃが同盟どうめい罷業ひぎょうに入はいった。

The workers went out on strike.

Usage 同盟罷業 — a general strike — is the old, formal equivalent of ストライキ. The same 罷 as 罷り通る. Read ひぎょう.

Remember it 罷 (cease) + 業 (work) → the work stopped.

彼女かのじょは静しずかに微笑びしょうした。

She smiled quietly.

Usage 微笑する, 微笑を浮かべる — smiling. Read びしょう as a Sino-Japanese noun, but 微笑む is read ほほえむ. The reading is a frequent exam item.

Remember it 微 (slight) + 笑 (smile) → the smile that barely moves the face.

道路どうろが完全かんぜんに封鎖ふうさされた。

The road was completely blocked off.

Usage 〜を封鎖する — blockading a road, a port or an account. Transitive. 口座封鎖 is freezing an account. Read ふうさ.

Remember it 封 (seal) + 鎖 (chain) → sealed shut and chained.

金属きんぞく部分ぶぶんが腐蝕ふしょくしている。

The metal parts are corroding.

Usage 〜が腐蝕する — corroding, being eaten away. INTRANSITIVE. Also written 腐食. Used figuratively of moral decay. Read ふしょく.

Remember it 腐 (rot) + 蝕 (eat away) → rotting and being eaten into.

三人さんにんの家族かぞくを扶養ふようしている。

I support a family of three.

Usage 〜を扶養する, 扶養家族 — supporting dependants, one's dependants. Tax and insurance vocabulary. Read ふよう.

Remember it 扶 (support) + 養 (feed) → held up and fed.

不当ふとうな扱あつかいに憤慨ふんがいした。

I was indignant at the unfair treatment.

Usage 〜に憤慨する — being indignant. Note the に. Stronger than 怒る, and righteous in flavour. Read ふんがい.

Remember it 憤 (indignation) + 慨 (lament) → anger with a sense of injustice in it.

二ふたつの方法ほうほうを併用へいようする。

Using the two methods together.

Usage 〜を併用する — using in combination. Transitive. 薬の併用 is taking medicines together. The same 併 as 併合. Read へいよう.

Remember it 併 (combine) + 用 (use) → both in use at once.

優勝ゆうしょう旗きを返還へんかんした。

They returned the championship flag.

Usage 〜を返還する — giving back what was borrowed or held. Used of territory too: 領土返還. The same 還 as 還元 and 償還. Read へんかん.

Remember it 返 (return) + 還 (give back) → handed back to whom it belongs.

証拠しょうこ品ひんとして没収ぼっしゅうされた。

It was confiscated as evidence.

Usage 〜を没収する — permanent confiscation. Distinct from 押収, seizure for investigation: 没収 means losing it for good. The distinction is a frequent exam item. Read ぼっしゅう.

Remember it 没 (sink, forfeit) + 収 (take) → taken, and gone for good.

登録とうろくを抹消まっしょうした。

The registration was struck off.

Usage 〜を抹消する — striking off a register or a list. Transitive. Heavier than 消去 because it is official. Read まっしょう.

Remember it 抹 (rub out) + 消 (erase) → rubbed out of the record.

話題わだい満載まんさいの一いっ冊さつだ。

It is a book packed with things to talk about.

Usage 荷物を満載する, loaded to capacity; and 〜満載, brimming with content — the second is advertising language. Read まんさい.

Remember it 満 (full) + 載 (load) → loaded to the brim.

住宅じゅうたくが密集みっしゅうする地域ちいきだ。

It is an area of densely packed housing.

Usage 〜が密集する, 密集地帯 — crowding densely, a congested district. INTRANSITIVE. Opposites: 過疎, 分散. Read みっしゅう.

Remember it 密 (dense) + 集 (gather) → gathered so close there is no space between.

授業じゅぎょう料りょうが免除めんじょされた。

The tuition fee was waived.

Usage 〜を免除する — exempting from a duty or a payment. Often passive. The same 免 as 任免 and 免じる. Read めんじょ.

Remember it 免 (exempt) + 除 (remove) → the obligation taken off you.

他社たしゃの製品せいひんを模倣もほうした疑うたがいがある。

They are suspected of copying another firm's product.

Usage 〜を模倣する — imitating. Transitive. More formal than 真似する. Its opposite is 独創. Read もほう.

Remember it 模 (pattern) + 倣 (follow) → following the pattern someone else set.

係員かかりいんが観客かんきゃくを誘導ゆうどうした。

The staff guided the spectators.

Usage 〜を誘導する — leading or guiding. Transitive. 誘導尋問 is a leading question. Read ゆうどう.

Remember it 誘 (entice) + 導 (lead) → drawn along and led where you want them.

状況じょうきょうは予断よだんを許ゆるさない。

The situation does not permit of prediction.

Usage 予断を許さない — allowing no prediction, i.e. too uncertain to be optimistic — is a set phrase and effectively the only use. Read よだん.

Remember it 予 (in advance) + 断 (judge) → judging it in advance, which this phrase forbids.

候補こうほ者しゃが乱立らんりつしている。

Candidates are standing in excessive numbers.

Usage 〜が乱立する — springing up in disorderly numbers. INTRANSITIVE. Used of candidates, shops and signboards. Critical. Read らんりつ.

Remember it 乱 (disorder) + 立 (stand) → standing up all over the place with no order.

地盤じばんが隆起りゅうきしてできた地形ちけいだ。

It is terrain formed by the uplift of the ground.

Usage 〜が隆起する — rising, protruding. INTRANSITIVE. Geological vocabulary. Its opposite is 沈降. The same 隆 as 隆盛. Read りゅうき.

Remember it 隆 (rise high) + 起 (rise) → the ground pushed up from below.

予算よさんの流用りゅうようが発覚はっかくした。

Misappropriation of the budget came to light.

Usage 〜を流用する — using funds for a purpose other than the designated one. Usually negative where public money is concerned. Read りゅうよう.

Remember it 流 (divert the flow) + 用 (use) → the flow turned to another use.

資料しりょうを内容ないようごとに類別るいべつした。

I classified the materials by content.

Usage 〜を類別する — classifying by type. Transitive. Close to 分類 but more formal and less common. Read るいべつ.

Remember it 類 (kind) + 別 (separate) → separated out by kind.