塗ぬり替かえる

ぬ

り

か

え

る

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, transitive verb

repaint; paint over; paint a different color

Literal sense: applying new paint to a surface, often changing the color or refreshing the appearance.

壁かべを白しろく塗ぬり替かえた。
I repainted the wall white.
古ふるい家か具ぐを明あかるい色いろに塗ぬり替かえる。

I repaint old furniture in a bright color.

2

ichidan verb, transitive verb

rewrite; remake; break a record; redraw

Figurative use: completely changing something established, such as a record, map, history, or common sense. Often implies a dramatic or fundamental change.

彼かれは世せ界かい記き録ろくを塗ぬり替かえた。
He broke the world record.
その発はっ見けんは歴れき史しを塗ぬり替かえるものだ。
That discovery will rewrite history.

Written forms

塗ぬり替かえるUsage73%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
塗ぬりかえるUsage14%
search-only kanji form
塗ぬり変かえるUsage10%
Variant spelling using 変える, emphasizing the 'change' nuance.
ぬりかえるUsage3%
Kana spelling; used when the kanji is not needed or for clarity.

Kanji

塗paint, plaster, daub
替exchange, spare, substitute
変unusual, change, strange

Similar words

塗ぬる
塗る is the base verb meaning 'to paint' or 'to apply'. 塗り替える adds the nuance of redoing or changing what was already there.
書かき換かえる
書き換える means 'to rewrite' in a textual sense. 塗り替える is more metaphorical, often used for records, history, or fundamental changes.

Etymology

Compound of 塗り (continuative form of 塗る 'to paint') + 替える 'to replace/change'. The literal meaning is 'to repaint', which extended to figurative uses of completely changing something.