Translation guide
The process of a liquid turning into vapor, typically water into the air. In Japanese, the most common word is 蒸発 (じょうはつ), but it also has a figurative meaning of 'disappearing' or 'vanishing' (like a person). For scientific contexts, 蒸発 is standard. For everyday talk about water drying up, 乾く (かわく) or 蒸発する are used depending on nuance.
Describing the scientific or natural process of a liquid turning into gas, especially water evaporating.
The standard noun for evaporation. Can be used in both scientific and everyday contexts. Often used with する to form a verb.
Water evaporates due to heat.
Moisture is lost through evaporation.
More technical term for vaporization, including evaporation and boiling. Used in physics and engineering.
Vaporization of a liquid requires energy.
Specifically refers to transpiration in plants, or evaporation from a surface. Used in botany and environmental science.
Transpiration occurs from plant leaves.
Talking about puddles, wet surfaces, or laundry becoming dry, often in everyday situations.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to dry'. Used for things losing moisture, like clothes, hair, or ground. Not strictly evaporation, but often the natural way to express water disappearing.
The laundry has already dried.
Verb form of 蒸発. Can be used for water evaporating, but often sounds slightly more scientific or formal than 乾く. Use when emphasizing the phase change.
Describing a person or thing that suddenly disappears without a trace, often used in news or casual speech.
Figurative use meaning 'to vanish' or 'disappear without a trace'. Commonly used for missing persons or stolen money. Often used with する.
He vanished, leaving behind debts.
General verb for 'disappear'. Not as vivid as 蒸発, but can be used in similar contexts. 蒸発 implies a more sudden or mysterious vanishing.
蒸発 (じょうはつ) focuses on the phase change from liquid to gas, while 乾く (かわく) focuses on the result of becoming dry. For everyday situations like clothes drying, 乾く is more natural. Use 蒸発 when the scientific process is emphasized or for figurative vanishing.
Saying 蒸発する for laundry drying can sound overly technical. Use 乾く instead.
After the rain, the road dried quickly.
The puddle evaporated from the sun's heat.
The company's funds evaporated.
彼は突然消えた。
He suddenly disappeared.