Translation guide
How to express 'arousing' in Japanese, covering sexual excitement, stirring emotions, and waking someone up.
Describing something that causes sexual excitement or desire.
General term for causing excitement, including sexual arousal. Can be used for things, situations, or people.
That movie scene is very arousing.
Explicitly 'sexually arousing'. Used when clarity is needed.
The advertisement had sexually arousing content.
Colloquial, onomatopoeic for causing sexual desire. Casual and often used among friends.
Her dancing is arousing.
To stir up desire or interest, often sexual. Casual and slightly slangy.
That voice is really arousing.
Slang for 'erotic' or 'sexy'. Can describe something arousing in a direct, informal way.
That photo is super arousing.
Causing strong feelings like curiosity, sympathy, or excitement (non-sexual).
To stir up, arouse (emotions, interest, curiosity). Often used with nouns like 興味 (interest) or 好奇心 (curiosity).
That story aroused my curiosity.
To evoke, arouse (memories, feelings). More literary.
To stimulate, arouse (interest, appetite, imagination). Common in both casual and formal contexts.
This book arouses the reader's imagination.
Causing someone to wake up.
English 'arousing' covers sexual, emotional, and physical waking. In Japanese, different words are used for each. Using 興奮させる for waking someone up would be unnatural.
I aroused him and woke him up. (unnatural, sounds sexual)
Both are casual and imply sexual arousal. そそる is more about 'turning on' interest/desire, while ムラムラさせる is more directly about sexual urge. そそる can sometimes be used for non-sexual excitement (e.g., appetite), but ムラムラさせる is almost always sexual.
That song arouses nostalgic memories.