Translation guide
How to express 'cross over' in Japanese, covering physical crossing, transitioning, and figurative uses.
Moving from one side to the other, such as a street, bridge, or boundary.
Cross over the bridge.
Be careful when crossing the road.
Cross over a physical barrier like a mountain, fence, or border, emphasizing going beyond.
Cross over the mountain.
Cross the border.
Formal or technical term for crossing, often used for streets, continents, or in official contexts.
Cross at the crosswalk.
Moving from one group, field, or state to another, such as changing teams or genres.
To move or shift to another side, group, or category.
He crossed over from politics to business.
To convert or switch allegiance, often used for ideological or religious changes.
He crossed over to Christianity.
Literally 'transfer', used metaphorically for switching sides or brands.
Euphemistic or poetic crossing into another realm, such as death or a new phase.
To depart on a journey, often used euphemistically for passing away.
He peacefully crossed over.
Buddhist expression for crossing to the other shore, i.e., attaining enlightenment or dying.
In everyday speech, 'cross over' for death is usually expressed as 亡くなる (to pass away).
He crossed over last year.
渡る is for crossing flat surfaces or linear obstacles (roads, bridges, rivers). 越える is for crossing over vertical or three-dimensional barriers (mountains, fences, borders).
cross a river
cross a mountain
Avoid directly translating 'cross over' as クロスオーバー, which is a loanword used mainly for crossover vehicles, music genres, or fiction crossovers, not for physical crossing.
I crossed over from iPhone to Android.
My grandmother crossed over to the other side.