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例える (たとえる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

例たとえる

た

と

え

る

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, transitive verb

compare to; liken to; use a simile/metaphor

Used when drawing an analogy, likening one thing to another, or speaking figuratively. Often appears in the pattern 〜に例える.

人じん生せいを旅たびに例たとえることがある。
People sometimes compare life to a journey.
彼かれはよく物もの事ごとを動どう物ぶつに例たとえて話はなす。
He often talks by likening things to animals.

Written forms

例たとえるUsage33%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common and broadly understood form.
たとえるUsage56%
喩たとえるUsage7%
Rare kanji variant; may appear in literary or older texts.
譬たとえるUsage4%
Rare kanji variant; may appear in literary or older texts.

Kanji

例example, custom, usage
喩metaphor, compare
譬illustrate

Similar words

比くらべる
比べる is a general verb for comparing two or more things to examine similarities or differences, while 例える specifically means likening one thing to another for illustration or figurative effect.

Etymology

Derived from the noun 例 (ためし, example) with the verbalizing suffix える, meaning 'to make an example of' or 'to liken'. The kanji 例 is conventionally associated with the meaning of example or comparison.