Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "およぎます" vs "持ちます"
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
持ちます
もちます (mochimasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both およぎます and 持ちます 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, 持ちます (もちます (mochimasu)) translates to "to hold, to carry, to possess" (Level: N5) and is used for Polite form of 持つ. 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 "持ちます"
鞄をしっかり持ちます。
I hold my bag firmly.
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.".