Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "座ります" vs "できる"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
座ります
すわります (suwarimasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
できる
できる (dekiru)
N4 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both 座ります and できる are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
座ります (すわります (suwarimasu)) represents "to sit" (Level: N5) and typically represents Polite form of 座る. Used to express the action of sitting down..
On the other hand, できる (できる (dekiru)) translates to "to be able to, to be completed, to be made, to be built (intransitive)" (Level: N4) and is used for An intransitive verb with multiple meanings: 'to be able to. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "座ります"
椅子に座ります。
I sit on the chair.
Bilingual Sentence for "できる"
この家は来月にはできるでしょう。
This house will probably be completed by next month.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "椅子に ＿＿＿ 。" (Meaning: "I sit on the chair.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "座ります" fits here because it represents "to sit" in the context: "I sit on the chair.".