Translation guide
The act of passing another vehicle or person, or surpassing someone in progress or achievement.
To move past another vehicle on the road.
The most common noun for overtaking a vehicle. Often used in traffic contexts.
Overtaking is prohibited here.
The verb form meaning 'to overtake' a vehicle. Used in everyday conversation.
I overtook the car in front.
Similar to 追い越し, but often implies passing with a burst of speed or in a more dynamic way. Can be used for vehicles or in racing.
He made the overtaking move on the final lap.
Verb form of 追い抜き. Often used in sports or racing contexts.
The truck overtook the bus.
To go beyond someone in skill, rank, or development.
Can also be used metaphorically for surpassing someone in ability or status.
He overtook his senior and became department head.
Also used metaphorically, often with a nuance of rapidly surpassing.
Means 'to exceed' or 'to surpass' in terms of numbers, expectations, or performance. Not specifically for overtaking a moving object, but for surpassing a standard.
Implies surpassing in a competitive or challenging context, often with a nuance of overcoming difficulty. More literary or formal.
To move past someone who is walking, running, or in a race.
Both mean 'to overtake', but 追い越す is more general and neutral. 追い抜く often implies a more dynamic, speedy overtaking, and is common in sports or racing contexts. In traffic, 追い越す is the standard term, while 追い抜く can sound more aggressive.
In English, 'overtaking' is often used as a gerund. In Japanese, the noun form 追い越し is common, but in many cases a verb phrase is more natural. Avoid directly translating English gerunds into Japanese nouns without checking naturalness.
新入社員が先輩を追い抜いて活躍している。
The new employee is overtaking his seniors and doing great work.
His results overtook mine.
彼はライバルを凌ぐ実力をつけた。
He developed the ability to overtake his rival.
マラソンで彼は次々と選手を追い抜いた。
In the marathon, he overtook runner after runner.