潜む (ひそむ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

潜ひそむ

ひ

そ

む

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

潜む · godan verb (-mu)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	潜ひそむ	潜ひそまない
Polite	潜ひそみます	潜ひそみません
Past polite	潜ひそみました	潜ひそみませんでした
Past	潜ひそんだ	潜ひそまなかった
Te-form	潜ひそんで	潜ひそまないで
Desire	潜ひそみたい	潜ひそみたくない
Potential	潜ひそめる	潜ひそめない
Passive	潜ひそまれる	潜ひそまれない
Causative	潜ひそませる	潜ひそませない
Causative passive	潜ひそませられるalso 潜ひそまされる	潜ひそませられないalso 潜ひそまされない
Volitional	潜ひそもう
Polite volitional	潜ひそみましょう
Imperative	潜ひそめ	潜ひそむな
Conditional	潜ひそめば	潜ひそまなければ
Tara conditional	潜ひそんだら	潜ひそまなかったら

Meanings

1

godan verb (-mu), intransitive verb

lurk; hide; lie dormant; be latent

Describes something or someone staying out of sight, often with a nuance of waiting or existing unseen. Can refer to physical hiding, hidden dangers, or latent qualities.

犯はん人にんは闇やみに潜ひそ

Kanji

潜submerge, conceal, hide
潛conceal, hide, lower (voice)
濳hide, conceal, secrete

Related words· 7

隠かくれるN4
隠れる is the general verb for hiding or being hidden, while 潜む adds a nuance of lying in wait unseen, often suggesting danger or stealth.
潜せん伏ぷく
潜伏する is a formal, often technical word for staying hidden over time (e.g. a disease or fugitive), while 潜む is the more everyday, general word for lurking.
潜せん在ざいN1
潜在する is used for abstract latent qualities or possibilities (potential, risk), whereas 潜む can describe both physical lurking and this same latent sense.
秘ひめるN1
秘める is transitive, meaning to keep something (like a feeling) hidden inside oneself, while 潜む is intransitive and describes something existing unseen on its own.

Show 3 more

潜もぐるN2
潜む describes lying hidden in a place without necessarily moving there, while 潜る emphasizes the act of going into hiding or a covered space.
宿やどる
潜む means to lurk or lie hidden within something, whereas 宿る carries a gentler, often poetic nuance of a spirit or quality dwelling there.
忍しのぶN1
潜む describes the state of lying hidden or lurking somewhere, while 忍ぶ (sense of hiding) emphasizes the deliberate act of concealing oneself, often through movement.

Opposites

現あらわれるN3
現れる means to appear or come into view, the direct opposite of 潜む, which means to stay hidden out of sight.

Don't confuse with

くぐるN1
潜る (くぐる) means to pass under or through something, while 潜む (ひそむ) means to lie hidden in a place; the shared kanji 潜 makes them easy to mix up.

Word family

隠かくれ潜ひそむ
hide; lie hidden; lurk

Written forms

潜ひそむUsage61%
Standard modern kanji spelling.
ひそむUsage39%
潛ひそむ
out-dated kanji form
Outdated kanji form; not used in modern writing.
濳ひそむ
out-dated kanji form
Outdated kanji form; not used in modern writing.

Etymology

The historical derivation is uncertain. The kanji 潜 carries the meaning of 'submerge' or 'hide', which fits the word's sense.