Translation guide
This English phrase refers to controlling, restraining, or preventing something from becoming excessive. It is often used for emotions, behavior, spending, or growth. Japanese expresses this through verbs meaning 'to suppress', 'to hold back', or 'to keep under control', depending on what is being checked.
To prevent feelings like anger, excitement, or desire from getting out of hand.
General verb for suppressing or holding back something, including emotions, laughter, or urges.
I struggled to keep my anger in check.
He couldn't keep his laughter in check.
To endure or hold back tears, laughter, or physical urges. Often used in the form こらえきれない (can't hold back).
I couldn't keep my tears in check.
To forcibly suppress or stifle, often with a nuance of oppression. Used for strong emotions or rebellion.
He kept his emotions in check and spoke calmly.
To prevent something like costs, population, or weeds from increasing too much.
Also used for controlling non-emotional things like expenses, inflation, or expansion.
We are making efforts to keep expenses in check.
Literally 'to apply a brake', meaning to put a stop to or curb something that is getting out of control, like a trend or bad habit.
Formal term for suppression or control, often used in technical or economic contexts.
To prevent a person or group from acting out, misbehaving, or exceeding limits.
Use with a person or their actions. Often implies authority or supervision.
The teacher struggled to keep the mischievous students in check.
To control or manage someone's behavior, often used for groups or systems.
It was difficult to keep the crowd in check.
In some contexts, Japanese uses grammatical structures to express keeping someone in check, like ～させない (not let them do) or ～されないようにする (make sure they aren't done).
I'm watching them to keep them in check (so they don't do as they please).
Both mean to suppress, but 抑える is broader and can be used for emotions, costs, or growth. こらえる is specifically for enduring physical or emotional outbursts like tears, laughter, or pain, and often appears in the potential form こらえられない.
The loanword チェックする means 'to check' as in to inspect or verify, not to restrain. Saying 感情をチェックする would be unnatural; use 抑える instead.
We need to keep the growth of weeds in check.
We must keep the spread of infection in check.
The government introduced policies to keep inflation in check.