Translation guide
The English verb 'sink' has several core meanings: to descend in liquid, to fall or drop, to decline in value or condition, and to embed or invest. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for each use, from physical sinking to metaphorical decline.
To go down below the surface of water or another liquid, or to cause something to do so.
Intransitive verb for something sinking on its own. Used for ships, objects, or people going under water.
Transitive verb for deliberately sinking something, like a ship or an object.
They sank the enemy ship.
To be submerged or go underwater, often used for vehicles, buildings, or land during floods.
The car sank into the river.
Literary term for sinking or setting, often used for the sun or moon.
The sun sinks in the west.
To move downward, often slowly, due to gravity or loss of support. Includes sinking into a chair or the ground.
To sink deeply into something soft, like a sofa or mud.
I sank into the sofa.
To sink into a surface, leaving a dent; used for feet sinking into mud or a heavy object pressing into something.
To fall into a hole or depression; also used metaphorically for emotional sinking.
To decrease in amount, quality, or spirits. Includes economic decline, sinking hopes, and feeling down.
To feel depressed or down; also used for economic slumps.
I'm feeling down after the breakup.
Metaphorical sinking of spirits or mood; often used for a gloomy atmosphere.
To decline or drop, used for levels, quality, or value.
The quality sank.
Specifically for prices or stock values falling.
Stock prices sank.
To put something firmly into a surface or to invest resources into something.
To sink a post or stake into the ground; also used for sinking money into a project.
They sank the post into the ground.
To drive in, like a nail or stake; also means to devote oneself to something.
To pour money or effort into something, often with a nuance of investing heavily.
To fully understand or become aware of something, often after a delay.
To feel the reality of something; the realization sinks in.
It's finally sinking in that I passed.
Understanding deepens; the meaning sinks in.
To have a sudden realization; to click. Often used in negative form when something doesn't sink in.
Even after hearing the explanation, it didn't sink in.
While 沈む can be used for mood, it's more natural to use 落ち込む for feeling depressed. 沈む often sounds literary or dramatic for personal feelings.
沈む is intransitive (something sinks by itself), while 沈める is transitive (someone sinks something). Use the correct one based on whether there's an agent causing the sinking.
足が泥にめり込んだ。
My feet sank into the mud.
地面が落ち込んでいる。
The ground has sunk in.
The economy is in a slump.
My spirits sink.
He sank all his money into that business.
杭を地面に打ち込んだ。
They sank the stake into the ground.
新事業に資金をつぎ込んだ。
They sank funds into the new venture.
As time passed, it sank in.