Translation guide
The English verb 'freeze' covers several distinct meanings: turning into ice, becoming very cold, stopping movement, and preserving food. This guide organizes Japanese expressions by these practical uses.
Describing water or other liquids turning into ice due to cold temperatures.
The most common verb for water or liquids freezing. Intransitive.
More formal or technical term for freezing, often used for pipes, accounts, or processes. Can be transitive or intransitive.
水道管が凍結した。
The water pipes froze.
Literary or technical term for freezing into ice. Rare in everyday speech.
湖面が氷結した。
The lake surface froze over.
Describing a person or body part feeling extremely cold, or weather being freezing.
Intransitive verb meaning to be freezing cold, often used for body parts or a person feeling chilled to the bone.
手が凍えそうだ。
My hands are freezing.
凍えるような寒さだ。
It's freezing cold.
Common phrase meaning 'cold enough to freeze'.
今夜は凍えるほど寒い。
Tonight is freezing cold.
Means to become thoroughly chilled, often for body or room. Intransitive.
Describing a person or animal suddenly stopping all movement, often from fear or surprise.
Literally 'to harden', but commonly used for freezing up or becoming stiff from shock. Intransitive.
彼は恐怖で固まった。
He froze in fear.
その場で固まってしまった。
I just froze on the spot.
Specifically means to stand frozen in place, often from shock or fear.
Loanword from English, often used for computers freezing or a person freezing up in casual speech.
パソコンがフリーズした。
My computer froze.
Putting food in a freezer to keep it fresh for a long time.
Standard verb for freezing food. Transitive.
Causative form of 凍る, meaning to make something freeze. Can be used for food but less common than 冷凍する.
ジュースを凍らせてシャーベットを作った。
I froze juice to make sherbet.
Officially stop or fix something like bank accounts, wages, or prices.
Used for freezing assets, accounts, or development projects. Transitive.
銀行口座が凍結された。
My bank account was frozen.
賃金凍結
wage freeze
Means to leave as is, often used for prices or rates being kept unchanged.
料金を据え置く。
to freeze prices
凍る (kooru) is for natural freezing (water turning to ice). For freezing food intentionally, use 冷凍する (reitou suru).
凍える (kogoeru) implies freezing cold, often painful. 冷える (hieru) just means to get cold/chilly. Use 凍える for 'freezing' in the sense of extreme cold.
外は凍えるほど寒い！
It's freezing outside!
動くな！
Freeze! Don't move!
In commands, Japanese uses 'Don't move!' rather than a direct translation of 'freeze'.
My body is freezing cold.
彼女は驚いて立ちすくんだ。
She froze in surprise.