Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "とおく" vs "並べる"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
とおく
とおく (tooku)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
並べる
ならべる (naraberu)
N4 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both とおく and 並べる are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
とおく (とおく (tooku)) represents "far, distant" (Level: N5) and typically represents Describes distance. Opposite of ちかく.
On the other hand, 並べる (ならべる (naraberu)) translates to "to line up, to arrange, to display (transitive)" (Level: N4) and is used for 人や物を一列にそろえて置くこと。他動詞。「並ぶ」の他動詞形。/ To arrange or place people or objects in a line. Transitive verb. The transitive form of 'narabu'.. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "とおく"
わたしの家は会社から遠いです。
My house is far from the office.
Bilingual Sentence for "並べる"
本を棚にきれいに並べました。
I neatly arranged the books on the shelf.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "わたしの家は会社から遠いです。" (Meaning: "My house is far from the office.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "とおく" fits here because it represents "far, distant" in the context: "My house is far from the office.".