Translation guide
The English word "beat" has many meanings. This guide organizes them by practical use: physical hitting, defeating, rhythmic patterns, surpassing, and more. For each meaning, natural Japanese expressions are provided.
To strike someone or something multiple times, often with force.
General verb for punching or beating someone with fists. Can be used for repeated hitting.
He beat the opponent many times.
To hit, strike, or beat. Can be used for hitting with hands or objects, but often implies slapping or striking rather than punching. Also used metaphorically.
To hit, strike. Often used in specific contexts like beating a drum or hitting a ball. Can sound more formal or literary.
Colloquial verb for hitting or striking. Stronger and more casual than 叩く.
To win against someone in a game, battle, or argument.
To defeat or beat someone in a contest. Transitive verb.
The regular pulse in music, or a rhythmic unit.
Loanword from English, commonly used in music contexts.
To be better than something else, to exceed.
To surpass, to be superior. Often used in comparisons.
To stir or whip ingredients rapidly.
The pulsation of the heart.
Heartbeat, pulsation. Often used in literary or emotional contexts.
To avoid a problem, to get away before something bad happens.
To avoid something. Use with nouns.
Expression "beats me" meaning "I don't know" or "I can't understand".
I have no idea. Common phrase equivalent to "beats me".
殴る specifically means to punch or hit with fists. Do not use it for beating in a game or competition. Use 負かす or 勝つ instead.
負かす is transitive and takes the opponent as direct object (を). 勝つ is intransitive and requires に for the opponent. Both mean to win/beat, but 負かす emphasizes defeating someone, while 勝つ simply means to win.
彼は机を叩いた。
He beat on the desk.
Beat a drum.
I beat him up.
We beat the opposing team.
To win. Use with に to indicate who you beat. Intransitive, so the person beaten is marked with に.
We beat the opponent.
To defeat thoroughly, to beat decisively. Stronger than 負かす.
They beat the enemy.
To beat up, to defeat soundly. Casual and often implies physical or decisive victory.
I beat him in the game.
I like the beat of this song.
Musical time, beat, rhythm. Often used in traditional contexts or counting beats.
Keep the beat by clapping hands.
Rhythm. More general than beat, but often used interchangeably in modern music.
Move to the beat of the dance.
We beat other companies in quality.
To exceed, to go above (a number or standard).
The results beat expectations.
To be superior to ~. A common pattern for comparisons.
This product beats others.
To beat until frothy, to whip (cream, eggs).
Beat the eggs.
To mix. Not specifically beating, but often used in recipes.
Beat the ingredients well.
My heartbeat quickens.
Heartbeat, often used in medical or fitness contexts.
Check the heartbeat.
I left early to beat the rush.
To escape before something happens. Literal translation, but natural in context.
Let's beat the rain.
It beats me why he's angry.
I give up; it's beyond me. Casual.
This problem beats me.