越こえる

こ

え

る

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, transitive verb

Used for physically crossing a boundary (mountain, river, border) or moving past a point in space or time. 越える is the typical kanji.

山やまを越こえると、小ちいさな村むらが見みえた。
After crossing the mountain, we saw a small village.

この

道みち

を

まっすぐ

行い

っ

て

、

橋はし

を

越こ

え

て

ください

。

Go straight along this road and cross the bridge.

2

ichidan verb, transitive verb

exceed; surpass; be more than

Used for exceeding a numerical value, limit, expectation, or standard. 超える is the typical kanji for this sense.

気き温おんが30度どを超こえた。
The temperature exceeded 30 degrees.
彼かれの成せい績せきはクラスの平へい均きんを超こえている。
His grades surpass the class average.

Written forms

越こえるUsage30%
Standard kanji for crossing over physical boundaries or points in time; also used abstractly for exceeding limits.
超こえるUsage64%
Preferred when emphasizing surpassing a numerical threshold, limit, or expectation.
こえるUsage6%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing when the kanji distinction is not needed.

Kanji

越surpass, cross over, move to
超transcend, super-, ultra-

Similar words

越こす
Also means 'to cross' or 'to exceed', but is slightly more formal and often used in compound verbs or set phrases (e.g., 引っ越す). 越える is more common in everyday speech.
過すぎる
Means 'to pass' or 'to exceed', but focuses on going past a point in time or a limit, often with a nuance of 'too much'. 越える emphasizes crossing a boundary or surpassing a standard.

Etymology

Derived from classical verb 越ゆ (こゆ). The kanji 越 and 超 both carry the meaning of 'crossing over' or 'surpassing', with 越 often used for physical crossing and 超 for exceeding limits.