Translation guide
The English verb 'propagate' has several distinct meanings: to spread ideas or information, to reproduce plants or animals, and to transmit waves or signals. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for each use.
To disseminate or promote ideas, doctrines, or knowledge among people.
General term for spreading information, ideas, or culture. Transitive verb.
He gave lectures to propagate his ideas.
To propagate through advertising or publicity, often with a persuasive intent.
Propagate the benefits of a new product.
To spread or popularize something widely, such as technology or practices.
We need to propagate renewable energy.
Formal, often used for the spread of ideas, rumors, or cultural phenomena. Can be intransitive.
The rumor propagated in no time.
To breed or multiply organisms, often through controlled methods.
To breed or propagate organisms. Transitive form of 繁殖する.
This plant can be propagated by cuttings.
General verb meaning 'to increase', used for propagating plants or animals in casual contexts.
Specifically for cultivating/propagating plants, often in agriculture.
This variety is propagated in greenhouses.
To cause waves, energy, or signals to travel through a medium or space.
To transmit or conduct (heat, sound, electricity). General and widely used.
Metal propagates heat well.
Technical term for wave propagation (sound, light, radio). Used in physics.
Sound propagates through the air.
Intransitive, describes the natural spread of waves or light. 'To spread out'.
広める is the everyday verb for spreading ideas or information. 伝播する is more formal and often used for the natural spread of phenomena like rumors or waves.
propagate culture
a virus propagates
Avoid directly translating 'propagate' as プロパゲートする, which is rarely used outside very specific technical contexts. Use the appropriate Japanese verb based on meaning.
メダカを増やすのは簡単だ。
It's easy to propagate killifish.
光が四方に広がる。
Light propagates in all directions.