Translation guide
The English word 'collecting' can refer to gathering items as a hobby, accumulating things, or bringing things together. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for these different meanings.
Expressing the act of collecting items for enjoyment, such as stamps, coins, or figurines.
The standard term for collecting as a hobby. Often used with the object marked by を.
He collects stamps.
A general verb meaning 'to gather' or 'to collect'. Can be used for hobbies but is broader.
I collect old coins.
Loanword from English, often used for modern collecting hobbies. Sounds slightly more casual or trendy.
She collects figurines.
Bringing things or people into one place, such as collecting donations, gathering information, or assembling a group.
Transitive verb meaning 'to collect' or 'to gather'. Used for actively bringing things together.
We are collecting questionnaires.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to gather' or 'to come together'. Used when things or people gather by themselves.
Means 'to collect' in the sense of retrieving or recovering items, often used for recycling, waste, or distributed materials.
We are collecting waste paper.
Gradually building up a quantity of something, such as data, dust, or experience.
Formal term for accumulating or amassing, often used for data, knowledge, or wealth.
To accumulate data.
Casual verb meaning 'to accumulate' or 'to store up', often used for things like stress, money, or tasks. Can have a negative nuance.
Receiving money owed, such as bills, taxes, or fares.
Going to get a person or thing from a place, such as collecting a child from school or a parcel from the post office.
Used for picking up people, like from school or the station. Literally 'go to meet'.
To pick up the child from school.
Means 'to receive' or 'to pick up' an item, like a package or ticket.
Used for collecting or taking custody of something, often in formal contexts like lost property or an animal.
集める is a general verb for gathering things, while 収集する specifically implies systematic collecting as a hobby or for a purpose. Use 収集する for stamp collections, data collection, etc.
I collect stamps as a hobby.
We gathered fallen leaves and played.
コレクションする is only for hobby collecting. It sounds unnatural for collecting data, payments, or people.
I enjoy collecting rare books.
They are collecting donations for the charity.
Please collect your tickets at the counter.
He collected signatures.
公園に人が集まった。
People gathered in the park.
Don't accumulate stress.
Literally 'to pile up', used metaphorically for accumulating efforts, experience, or achievements.
To accumulate experience.
To collect a debt.
荷物を受け取りに行く。
To go pick up a package.
忘れ物を引き取る。
To collect lost property.