Translation guide
The English word 'jumping' can refer to the physical action of leaping, sudden movements, or figurative leaps in logic or activity. This guide covers how to express these ideas naturally in Japanese.
Describing the action of pushing oneself off the ground using one's legs.
The most common verb for jumping or leaping. Often used for jumping up, over, or across.
The child jumped over the vaulting box.
彼は高く跳んだ。
He jumped high.
Means to jump around or bounce, often with a sense of repeated, energetic jumping.
子供たちが庭で飛び跳ねている。
The children are jumping around in the garden.
Loanword from English, commonly used in sports, games, and casual contexts.
バスケットボールで高くジャンプした。
He jumped high in basketball.
Describing jumping from a height or off an object.
Specifically means to jump down from a place. Often used for jumping off a platform, stage, or vehicle.
彼は階段から飛び降りた。
He jumped off the stairs.
Alternate kanji for 飛び降りる, less common but still used.
Describing the action of entering quickly or suddenly.
Means to jump into or dive into something, both literally (water) and figuratively (a situation).
彼はプールに飛び込んだ。
He jumped into the pool.
彼女は会話に飛び込んだ。
She jumped into the conversation.
Expressing the idea of reaching a conclusion hastily without enough evidence.
Means to jump to a conclusion or make a hasty assumption. Often used when someone misunderstands quickly.
彼は私の話を聞かずに早合点した。
He jumped to conclusions without listening to my story.
Similar to 早合点, but often implies a careless mistake from jumping to conclusions.
早とちりして、違う電車に乗ってしまった。
I jumped to conclusions and ended up taking the wrong train.
Means to decide or assume something definitively, often prematurely. Can be used for jumping to conclusions.
Describing a sudden change in subject or focus.
Literally 'the conversation jumps', used when the topic changes abruptly.
彼の話はよく飛ぶ。
His conversation often jumps around.
More formal, meaning the topic leaps or jumps significantly.
議論の途中で話題が飛躍した。
The topic jumped in the middle of the discussion.
Describing a sudden involuntary movement due to shock.
Means to jump up in surprise or fright. Often used when startled.
大きな音に飛び上がった。
I jumped at the loud noise.
Onomatopoeic expression for flinching or jumping slightly from surprise.
急に肩を叩かれてびくっとした。
I jumped when someone suddenly tapped my shoulder.
跳ぶ (とぶ) is used for jumping/leaping (human or animal motion), while 飛ぶ (とぶ) is used for flying (birds, planes, etc.). However, in some contexts 飛ぶ can also mean 'to jump' when the focus is on moving through the air. For physical jumping, 跳ぶ is more precise.
While ジャンプする is common in sports and casual speech, it can sound unnatural in traditional or formal contexts. Use 跳ぶ or other native verbs for general jumping actions.
猫が塀から跳び下りた。
The cat jumped down from the fence.
まだ分からないのに、彼を犯人だと決めつけるのはよくない。
It's not good to jump to the conclusion that he's the culprit when we don't know yet.