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膨らせる (ふくらせる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

膨ふくらせる

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, transitive verb

puff up; inflate; swell

Transitive verb meaning to cause something to expand or swell, often used for cheeks, balloons, or abstract things like expectations. Compare with intransitive 膨らむ (to swell by itself).

See also: 膨らます

子こどもがほっぺたを膨ふくらせて怒おこっている。
The child is puffing out their cheeks in anger.

風ふう船せんを膨ふくらせるのに時じ間かんがかかった。

It took time to inflate the balloon.

Written forms

膨ふくらせる
Standard kanji spelling for 'to puff up/inflate'.
脹ふくらせる
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 膨らせる is preferred.

Kanji

膨swell, get fat, thick
脹dilate, distend, bulge

Similar words

膨ふくらむ
Intransitive: something swells or expands by itself (e.g., 風船が膨らむ). 膨らせる is the transitive counterpart.
膨ふくらます
Synonymous transitive verb, also meaning 'to inflate'. 膨らます is slightly more common in modern usage, but both are acceptable.

Etymology

Derived from the intransitive verb 膨らむ (ふくらむ) by changing the ending to the transitive せる form. The kanji 膨 means 'swell' or 'expand'.