Translation guide
The English verb "crawl" has several distinct meanings. This guide covers the most common uses for learners: moving on hands and knees, moving slowly, and figurative uses like being covered with things or crawling with people. It also includes the internet sense of web crawling.
To move forward on your hands and knees, like a baby or an insect.
The most common verb for crawling on hands and knees. Used for babies, insects, and people moving low to the ground.
赤ちゃんが床を這っている。
The baby is crawling on the floor.
A bug was crawling on the wall.
Literally "to get on all fours." Used when someone gets down on hands and knees, often to look for something or to crawl.
He got down on all fours and looked under the bed.
Military term for low crawling or creeping forward while staying flat. Very specific.
The soldiers crawled on their bellies to approach the enemy position.
To move at an extremely slow pace, like heavy traffic or time dragging.
Describes moving slowly and sluggishly. Often used for traffic or a person moving without energy.
The cars are crawling along in the traffic jam.
Literally "slow like a cow's walk." Used to emphasize extremely slow progress.
The negotiations are crawling along at a snail's pace.
A formal or literary expression meaning "making little progress" or "crawling along." Often used in writing.
To be full of or covered with moving things, especially insects or people. Often used as "crawling with."
Describes a place teeming with small creatures, especially insects. Very colloquial and vivid.
The kitchen is crawling with cockroaches.
A more general way to say "full of." Can be used for people, insects, or objects. Less vivid than うじゃうじゃ.
The park was crawling with people.
Means "swarming" or "crowding." Used when many creatures or people gather in a place.
Flies were crawling all over the corpse.
The automated process by which search engines scan websites.
A swimming stroke.
The standard term for the front crawl stroke in swimming.
He is fast at swimming the crawl.
While 這う means "crawl" in the physical sense, it is not used for slow-moving vehicles or time. Use のろのろ進む or similar phrases instead.
The car crawls along.
這う focuses on the continuous action of crawling. 四つん這いになる describes the posture of getting on all fours, which may or may not involve moving.
The baby crawls.
Get on all fours and search.
The reconstruction work is crawling along.
Search engines crawl the web regularly.