Translation guide
The English verb "sway" has several distinct meanings: physical back-and-forth movement, influencing someone's opinion, and a graceful, confident way of moving. This guide breaks down these meanings and provides natural Japanese equivalents.
To express physical swaying motion, like trees in the wind, a boat on waves, or a person rocking gently.
The trees are swaying in the wind.
The boat swayed heavily on the waves.
Transitive verb meaning 'to shake or sway something'. Use when someone causes the swaying.
He was listening to music, swaying his body.
Intransitive verb implying a slower, more unsteady swaying or shaking, often used for large structures or abstract things like confidence.
The building swayed in the earthquake.
Transitive verb meaning 'to shake or jolt', often with a more vigorous motion. Can also mean 'to extort'.
He shook the tree to make the fruit fall.
To express changing someone's opinion, decision, or feelings, often through argument or emotion.
Literally 'to move', but used figuratively to mean 'sway' or 'influence' someone's heart or decision.
His passion swayed me.
Means 'to influence or sway' (literally 'left-right'). Often used for decisions, outcomes, or opinions.
Means 'to persuade'. More direct than 'sway', but often used when swaying involves convincing someone.
Literally 'to shake the heart', meaning to move someone emotionally or sway their feelings.
Transitive verb meaning 'to shake or sway' something abstract like beliefs, society, or a position. Stronger nuance.
To describe a person walking or dancing with a smooth, rhythmic, side-to-side movement, often implying confidence or style.
Literally 'walk while swaying one's body'. A natural way to describe a swaying walk.
She swayed across the stage.
Means 'to move supplely/gracefully'. Captures the elegant aspect of swaying.
The dancer was swaying gracefully.
Means 'to wiggle or sway' (hips, body). Often used for a seductive or exaggerated swaying motion.
She walked swaying her hips.
揺れる (yureru) is the most common intransitive verb for swaying/shaking. 揺らぐ (yuragu) implies a slower, more unsteady motion, often used for large objects or abstract things. 揺する (yusuru) is transitive and implies a more vigorous shaking or jolting.
While 揺れる can metaphorically mean 'to waver' (e.g., 心が揺れる - one's heart wavers), it does not mean 'to sway someone's opinion'. Use 動かす or 左右する instead.
His opinion swayed the outcome of the meeting.
I swayed her into joining the plan.
The movie swayed the audience emotionally.
そのスキャンダルは政権を揺るがした。
The scandal swayed the administration.