Translation guide
The English word 'rake' can refer to a garden tool, the action of using that tool, gathering or collecting things, or a dissolute person. This guide covers the most common and useful Japanese expressions for each meaning.
The long-handled tool with teeth used for gathering leaves or smoothing soil.
The standard word for a garden rake. Literally 'bear paw', referring to the shape.
落ち葉を熊手で集めた。
I gathered the fallen leaves with a rake.
Loanword from English 'rake', used especially for specialized or Western-style rakes.
庭の手入れにレーキを使う。
I use a rake for garden maintenance.
To gather, smooth, or clear something using a rake.
The most natural way to say 'to rake' as an action. かく means to scratch or rake.
庭の落ち葉を熊手でかいた。
I raked the fallen leaves in the garden.
Literally 'gather with a rake', emphasizing the collecting aspect.
枯れ草を熊手で集めて捨てた。
I raked up the dead grass and threw it away.
Used for smoothing surfaces like gravel or soil, often in landscaping or sports field maintenance.
グラウンドにレーキをかけて平らにした。
I raked the field smooth.
To gather or collect something in large amounts, often money or information.
Means to scrape together or rake in, often used for money, people, or resources.
彼は選挙資金をかき集めた。
He raked in campaign funds.
To make a killing or rake in profits, often with a nuance of quick or easy money.
株で荒稼ぎした。
He raked it in on the stock market.
To sweep up or rake in everything, like winning all prizes or collecting all items.
彼は賞を総ざらいした。
He raked in all the awards.
To search or comb through an area or information meticulously.
Means to search every nook and cranny, like raking through an area.
警察は森をくまなく探した。
The police raked through the forest.
To investigate thoroughly, often used for documents or records.
彼らは過去の記録を徹底的に調べた。
They raked through past records.
A person who leads an immoral or dissolute life, often a womanizer.
A person devoted to pleasure and dissipation; a libertine or rake.
彼は若い頃、道楽者だった。
He was a rake in his youth.
A debauchee or profligate; emphasizes wasteful and immoral living.
A playboy or man about town; less severe than 'rake' but can imply a womanizer.
There is no single Japanese verb that directly translates 'to rake'. Use phrases like 熊手でかく or 熊手で集める depending on the nuance.
熊手 is the traditional Japanese rake, often bamboo or metal with a long handle. レーキ is a Western-style rake, often used for leveling soil or gravel. In everyday gardening, 熊手 is more common.
The protagonist of the novel is a rake.
彼は遊び人で、結婚する気はない。
He's a rake and has no intention of marrying.