Translation guide
To overturn in water, typically a boat or ship. Japanese has several verbs depending on what capsizes and how.
The most common way to say a boat or ship capsizes, often due to waves or instability.
General term for a vessel overturning. Used for boats, ships, and sometimes other vehicles. Neutral formality.
A small boat capsized.
There is a risk of the ship capsizing in the storm.
More casual and general 'to flip over'. Can be used for boats, but also for any object. Often implies a sudden or complete overturn.
The canoe capsized in the waves.
Literary or formal term for overturning. Can be used for boats, but also for abstract things like decisions. Less common in everyday speech.
The ship capsized and many lives were lost.
When someone or something causes a boat to overturn.
When a person ends up in the water because the boat overturns or they lose balance.
Describes falling out as a result of the boat capsizing.
The boat capsized and the people on board fell into the lake.
Means to be thrown out, often used when a boat capsizes suddenly and people are thrown into the water.
転覆する is the standard term for vessels capsizing and is used in news and formal contexts. ひっくり返る is more colloquial and can be used for any flipping over, including boats, but may sound less serious.
The newspaper reported 'fishing boat capsizes'.
While playing on the lake, the boat flipped over.
転覆する is specifically for vessels or vehicles. For a cup or a chair tipping over, use ひっくり返る or 倒れる (たおれる).
The ferry capsized in the storm.
Be careful not to capsize the canoe.
Casual transitive verb meaning to flip something over. Can be used for boats.
The child capsized the inner tube in the pool.
The boat suddenly tilted and I was thrown into the sea.