Translation guide
The English phrase 'drying up' can refer to liquids evaporating or being absorbed, to a supply or resource running out, or to someone forgetting what they were saying. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for each meaning.
Expressing that water, a puddle, or other liquid has dried up or disappeared.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to dry' or 'to become dry'. Used for things like laundry, skin, or ground that lose moisture.
The laundry has dried.
The pond water has dried up.
Intransitive verb specifically for bodies of water drying up completely, like a river or lake.
The river dried up due to drought.
Means 'to evaporate'. More technical or scientific. Can also be used figuratively for someone disappearing.
The water in the puddle evaporated.
Expressing that money, ideas, patience, or other resources are exhausted or depleted.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to run out' or 'to be exhausted'. Used for supplies, patience, ideas, etc.
Formal term for resources drying up or being depleted, often used for natural resources or abstract supplies.
Oil resources are drying up.
Idiomatic phrase meaning 'to hit bottom', i.e., to run out completely. Often used for money or stock.
Expressing that someone's mind goes blank or they forget their lines during a speech or conversation.
Means 'to be at a loss for words' or 'to falter in speech'. Used when someone hesitates or can't continue speaking.
I got nervous and dried up.
Literally 'one's head goes completely white', meaning one's mind goes blank. Common in stressful situations.
Casual expression for a momentary lapse of memory, like forgetting a word or name.
I totally blanked on his name.
乾く (kawaku) is general for things becoming dry, like clothes or skin. 干上がる (hiagaru) is specifically for bodies of water drying up completely. Do not use 干上がる for laundry.
Do not translate 'drying up' literally as 乾き上がる (kawakiagaru) for most meanings. That verb is rare and means 'to dry thoroughly' or 'to become completely dry', not the idiomatic senses of running out or forgetting.
We ran out of things to talk about.
貯金が底をついた。
My savings have dried up.
My mind went blank during the speech.