あふれる Japanese meaning | Kotomora

あふれる

あ

ふ

れ

る

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

あふれる · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	あふれる	あふれない
Polite	あふれます	あふれません
Past polite	あふれました	あふれませんでした
Past	あふれた	あふれなかった
Te-form	あふれて	あふれないで
Desire	あふれたい	あふれたくない
Potential	あふれられるalso あふれれる	あふれられないalso あふれれない
Passive	あふれられる	あふれられない
Causative	あふれさせる	あふれさせない
Causative passive	あふれさせられる	あふれさせられない
Volitional	あふれよう
Polite volitional	あふれましょう
Imperative	あふれろ	あふれるな
Conditional	あふれれば	あふれなければ
Tara conditional	あふれたら	あふれなかったら

Meanings

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

overflow; brim over; flood

usually written using kana alone

Describes liquid or a large amount of something exceeding its container or boundary. Also used figuratively for emotions, people, or things being so abundant they cannot be contained.

大おお

Kanji

溢overflow, inundate, spill

Related words· 7

こぼれる
こぼれる describes something spilling or falling out of a container, often accidentally, while 溢れる emphasizes the container being too full and the contents rising over the edge.
満みちるN3
満ちる means to become full or reach capacity, while 溢れる means that capacity has been exceeded and something is flowing over.
氾はん濫らんN2
氾濫する is a more formal, technical word used mainly for rivers or floodwaters overflowing their banks, while 溢れる is broader and can describe liquids, crowds, or emotions.
こぼれるN3
溢れる emphasizes a container being so full that its contents flow over, while 零れる more often suggests something falling out or escaping unintentionally.

Show 3 more

込こみ上あげるN1
あふれる describes emotion overflowing once it has already built up, whereas 込み上げる describes the actual rising motion of the feeling from within.
食はみ出でるN1
溢れる stresses an amount overflowing a container or limit entirely, while 食み出る focuses on just the part that sticks past the edge.
充じゅう満まん
溢れる means to overflow beyond capacity, whereas 充満 means to fill a space completely without necessarily spilling over.

Opposites

収おさまるN1
溢れる means to overflow or spill out of a space, the opposite of 収まる meaning to fit neatly within it.

Don't confuse with

溺おぼれるN3
溢れる (あふれる, 'to overflow') looks visually similar to 溺れる (おぼれる, 'to drown') due to their shared 氵 radical, but they are unrelated in meaning.

Word family· 9

あふれ
overflow; excess; spillover
溢あふれ出だす
overflow; pour out; spill out
溢あふれ出でる
overflow; spill out; well up

Written forms

あふれるUsage67%
Kana spelling is the usual written form.
溢あふれるUsage33%
Kanji form is common but the word is usually written in kana.

Etymology

Derived from the verb あふる (to overflow, to flood), which is the transitive counterpart. The intransitive form あふれる developed naturally. The kanji 溢 means 'overflow'.

Meanings

Usage patterns