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空で覚える (そらでおぼえる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

空そらで覚おぼえる

Meanings

1

expression, ichidan verb

learn by heart; memorize

Emphasizes committing something to memory so it can be recalled without looking; often used for lines, facts, or procedures.

台詞せりふを空そらで覚おぼえるまで練れん習しゅうした。
I practiced until I had memorized the lines by heart.
電でん話わ番ばん号ごうを空そらで覚おぼえてい

ます

か

。

Do you know the phone number by heart?

Written forms

空そらで覚おぼえる
Standard kanji spelling; 空 here means 'by heart' or 'from memory'.
そらで覚おぼえる
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; common in less formal writing.

Kanji

空empty, sky, void
覚memorize, learn, remember

Similar words

暗あん記きする
暗記する is a more formal, general term for memorization, often used in academic contexts. 空で覚える is more colloquial and emphasizes learning something so well it can be reproduced from memory without prompts.

Etymology

The phrase combines 空 (そら, 'empty' or 'from memory') with 覚える (おぼえる, 'to remember'). The exact origin of 空 in this sense is uncertain, but it likely derives from the idea of recalling something 'out of thin air' without external aids.