Translation guide
The English verb 'ripen' refers to fruit or crops becoming mature and ready to eat or harvest. In Japanese, the most common way to express this is with the verb 熟す (jukusu) for fruit, or 実る (minoru) for crops. There are also expressions for ripening after harvest or for cheese and other foods.
To describe fruit naturally becoming mature and ready to eat on the plant or tree.
The most common verb for fruit ripening. Intransitive.
The persimmons are ripening.
The tomatoes ripened to a bright red.
A more colloquial and common verb for fruit ripening. Intransitive.
This watermelon is already ripe.
Used for grains, nuts, and fruit when emphasizing bearing fruit or a harvest. Intransitive.
The apple trees bore a lot of fruit this year.
To describe fruit being ripened after picking, or using a method to cause ripening.
To describe the aging or maturing process of foods like cheese, miso, or sake.
To describe a person maturing in character or skill, often metaphorically.
Used for a person's character or skill becoming mellow and mature. Intransitive.
His acting has ripened over the years.
Both mean 'to ripen' for fruit. 熟す (jukusu) is slightly more formal and standard, while 熟れる (ureru) is more common in everyday speech. 熟れる is often used in the form 熟れてる (ureteru) to mean 'is ripe'.
While English can use 'ripen' metaphorically for people (e.g., 'his talent ripened'), Japanese 熟す is not used this way. Use 円熟する (enjukusuru) for artistic maturity, or 成長する (seichousuru) for general growth.
カレーを一晩寝かせると美味しくなる。
Letting curry sit overnight makes it taste better.