Translation guide
How to express 'overheating' in Japanese, covering physical heat, machinery, and metaphorical overwork.
Describing when a machine, engine, or device becomes too hot.
Common loanword for engines or machinery overheating. Used as a noun or suru-verb.
The engine overheated.
Formal/technical term for overheating. Used in written contexts or technical descriptions.
The machine overheated and stopped.
Literal 'become too hot'. More colloquial, but less precise for machinery.
My computer got too hot and won't work.
When a person's body temperature rises dangerously.
When a situation, market, or person becomes excessively intense or overworked.
Used metaphorically for markets, debates, or emotions becoming overheated.
The real estate market is overheating.
Also used metaphorically, especially for people overworking or burning out.
I'm about to overheat from work.
For emotions or arguments becoming too heated.
The discussion got too heated.
オーバーヒート is a common loanword for engines and burnout. 過熱 is more formal and used in technical or economic contexts. Both can be used metaphorically.
The economy is overheating.
While 熱い (あつい) means 'hot', saying エンジンが熱い is not the natural way to say 'the engine is overheating'. Use オーバーヒート or 過熱.