興す (おこす, okosu) Japanese meaning: revitalize | Kotomora

興おこす

お

こ

す

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

興す · godan verb (-su)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	興おこす	興おこさない
Polite	興おこします	興おこしません
Past polite	興おこしました	興おこしませんでした
Past	興おこした	興おこさなかった
Te-form	興おこして	興おこさないで
Desire	興おこしたい	興おこしたくない
Potential	興おこせる	興おこせない
Passive	興おこされる	興おこされない
Causative	興おこさせる	興おこさせない
Causative passive	興おこさせられる	興おこさせられない
Volitional	興おこそう
Polite volitional	興おこしましょう
Imperative	興おこせ	興おこすな
Conditional	興おこせば	興おこさなければ
Tara conditional	興おこしたら	興おこさなかったら

Pairs with興る

Meanings

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

revitalize; invigorate; promote

Used for breathing life into something that has declined, such as an industry, region, or organization. Often implies restoring energy or prosperity.

地じ元もとの商しょう店てん街がいを興おこすために、若

Kanji

興entertain, revive, retrieve

Transitive / intransitive

興おこる sense 1
興る is the intransitive partner meaning 'to rise or flourish' (国が興る), while 興す is the transitive verb meaning 'to raise up or revitalize' (国を興す).

Related words

設せつ立りつN1sense 2
設立する is the standard business term for founding a company or organization, while 興す is a more literary verb for establishing or reviving an enterprise.
創そう立りつN1sense 2
創立する emphasizes the formal founding of an institution or school, whereas 興す can also carry a sense of reviving something declining.
復ふっ興こうN2sense 1
復興する specifically means to rebuild or restore something that has been damaged or declined, while 興す is broader and can also mean founding something new.
活かっ性せい化か sense 1
活性化する is a modern, often bureaucratic term for making something more active or dynamic, while 興す is a more classical verb for revitalizing an industry or region.

Opposites

潰つぶすN3sense 2
潰す means to ruin or shut down a business, the opposite of 興す, which means to establish or launch one.
衰すい退たいN1sense 1
衰退する describes an industry or region declining, the opposite of what 興す aims to achieve by revitalizing it.
滅ほろぼすN1
興す means to found or establish (a country, a business), the opposite of 滅ぼす, which means to destroy it.

Don't confuse with

起おこすN4
起こす shares the same reading and covers many general meanings like 'to raise' or 'to cause', while 興す is reserved for reviving or founding enterprises, industries, or organizations.

Word family

村むらおこし
village revitalization; community renewal project
町まちおこし
town revitalization; community renewal project

Etymology

The kanji 興 carries meanings of 'entertainment', 'pleasure', and 'prosperity'. The verb 興す (おこす) is a transitive godan verb derived from the same root as 起こす, with a specialized nuance of fostering growth or founding something.

興おこす

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions