Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "かります" vs "はじまる"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
かります
かります (karimasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
はじまる
はじまる (hajimaru)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both かります and はじまる are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
かります (かります (karimasu)) represents "to borrow" (Level: N5) and typically represents The polite form of 借りる.
On the other hand, はじまる (はじまる (hajimaru)) translates to "to begin, to start (intransitive)" (Level: N5) and is used for Intransitive verb. Something begins by itself. The transitive form is 「始める. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "かります"
図書館で本をかります。
I borrow books from the library.
Bilingual Sentence for "はじまる"
映画は7時に始まります。
The movie starts at 7 o'clock.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "図書館で本を ＿＿＿ 。" (Meaning: "I borrow books from the library.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "かります" fits here because it represents "to borrow" in the context: "I borrow books from the library.".