Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "およぎます" vs "壊れる"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
およぎます
およぎます (oyogimasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
壊れる
こわれる (kowareru)
N4 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both およぎます and 壊れる are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
およぎます (およぎます (oyogimasu)) represents "to swim" (Level: N5) and typically represents The polite form of 泳ぐ.
On the other hand, 壊れる (こわれる (kowareru)) translates to "to break (intransitive)" (Level: N4) and is used for Used when something breaks *by itself* or the cause is not specified. It emphasizes the state of being broken. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "およぎます"
毎日プールでおよぎます。
I swim in the pool every day.
Bilingual Sentence for "壊れる"
私のパソコンが壊れてしまいました。
My computer broke.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "毎日プールで ＿＿＿ 。" (Meaning: "I swim in the pool every day.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "およぎます" fits here because it represents "to swim" in the context: "I swim in the pool every day.".