Synonym Boundary: "曇る", "空く", "独立する", "げっそり", "かじかむ"

When expressing "become" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "曇る", "空く", "独立する", "げっそり", "かじかむ" based on context.

• 曇る (くもる (kumoru) - Level: N5): Maps to "to become cloudy, to cloud over" and is used when Describes the sky becoming cloudy. Opposite of 晴れる.
• 空く (あく (aku) - Level: N3): Maps to "to become empty, to become available, to be vacant (intransitive)" and is used when Intransitive verb. Used for spaces becoming empty.
• 独立する (どくりつする (dokuritsusuru) - Level: N3): Maps to "to become independent; to stand alone" and is used when Used when a country gains sovereignty, an individual becomes self-reliant and lives apart from their family, or an organization/unit operates autonomously..
• げっそり (げっそり (gessori) - Level: N2): Maps to "become thin, lose a lot of weight (from worry/illness); feel disappointed/discouraged" and is used when Describes a sudden and significant loss of weight due to illness, worry, or shock, resulting in an emaciated appearance. Can also describe a feeling of deep disappointment..
• かじかむ (かじかむ (kajikamu) - Level: N2): Maps to "to become numb with cold; to be benumbed with cold (e.g. hands)" and is used when Specifically describes the sensation of hands or fingers becoming stiff and difficult to move due to cold. It implies the cold has made them numb or clumsy..

Mixing these up can easily lead to unnatural translations. Refer to the bilingual context cards below to master the boundaries!