Translation guide
To become quieter or to make someone/something quieter. In Japanese, this is often expressed with verbs meaning 'to become quiet' (intransitive) or 'to make quiet' (transitive), as well as phrases for telling someone to be quiet.
To describe a person, group, or environment becoming quieter on its own.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to become quiet' or 'to calm down'. Used for sounds, crowds, or situations.
After the storm passed, it quietened down outside.
The children went to sleep and the house quietened down.
Common phrase literally meaning 'to become quiet'. More colloquial than 静まる.
At night, the town quietens down.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to quiet down' or 'to subside', often used for pain, excitement, or disturbances. More formal/literary.
Let's wait until the disturbance quietens down.
To cause a person, group, or thing to become quieter.
Transitive verb meaning 'to quieten' or 'to calm'. Used for sounds, emotions, or people.
The teacher tried to quieten down the students.
Causative phrase meaning 'to make someone quiet'. More direct and colloquial.
Transitive verb meaning 'to suppress' or 'to quell', used for disturbances, pain, or unrest. Formal/literary.
Commands or requests for someone to stop making noise.
Common casual request meaning 'Be quiet' or 'Quieten down'. Can be made polite by adding ください.
Quieten down! The movie is starting.
Please quieten down.
Literally 'noisy', used as a blunt command meaning 'Shut up' or 'Be quiet'. Very direct and potentially rude.
Can be very rude; use only with close friends or in anger.
Polite, formal request for quiet, often used in announcements or by staff.
Please quieten down.
To become less excited, agitated, or emotional.
静まる is intransitive (something becomes quiet), while 静める is transitive (someone makes something quiet). They are a transitive-intransitive pair.
There is no single verb that covers all uses of 'quieten down'. Choose the expression based on whether something is becoming quiet on its own, being made quiet, or being commanded to be quiet.
She quietened down the crying baby.
It's hard to quieten down noisy children.
政府は反乱を鎮めるために軍隊を送った。
The government sent troops to quieten down the rebellion.
Shut up! Quieten down!
He was angry but soon quietened down.