Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "持ちます" vs "運ぶ"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
持ちます
もちます (mochimasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
運ぶ
はこぶ (hakobu)
N4 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both 持ちます and 運ぶ are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
持ちます (もちます (mochimasu)) represents "to hold, to carry, to possess" (Level: N5) and typically represents Polite form of 持つ.
On the other hand, 運ぶ (はこぶ (hakobu)) translates to "to carry, to transport" (Level: N4) and is used for Refers to moving items from one place to another, often implying effort or a larger quantity/size than 持って行く. 物を移動させる。. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "持ちます"
鞄をしっかり持ちます。
I hold my bag firmly.
Bilingual Sentence for "運ぶ"
この大きな荷物を一人で運ぶのは大変だ。
It's hard to carry this large luggage alone.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "鞄をしっかり ＿＿＿ 。" (Meaning: "I hold my bag firmly.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "持ちます" fits here because it represents "to hold, to carry, to possess" in the context: "I hold my bag firmly.".