Translation guide
The English word 'passing' covers several distinct meanings: moving past something, succeeding in a test, handing something over, time going by, and more. This guide breaks down these meanings and provides natural Japanese expressions for each.
Describing the act of going past a point, person, or vehicle.
Used for overtaking vehicles or passing someone ahead of you. Often used in traffic contexts.
No passing here.
Passing through a place without stopping, or a train passing a station.
The train passed the station without stopping.
Passing by someone going in the opposite direction, often in a narrow space.
It's difficult to pass each other on a narrow road.
Achieving a passing grade or being successful in an examination.
Giving or transferring an object to someone.
Describing the passage of time.
Euphemistic expression for death.
Transferring a ball to a teammate.
Loanword used in most sports contexts.
He made a good pass.
Legislative approval of a law.
Being accepted or mistaken for something one is not.
Pattern meaning 'to pass as ~'.
He passed as a university student.
Both mean time passes, but 過ぎる can also mean 'to exceed' or 'too much'. 経つ is more neutral and simply indicates the passage of time.
While パスする is common in casual speech, 合格する is the proper term for formal situations like job applications or official announcements.
Please pass the documents around.
あっという間に一年が過ぎた。
A year passed in the blink of an eye.
We mourn his passing.
The budget passed the Diet.