Common word› JLPT N3 › Freq. Frequency Top 10,000 Conjugation 増す · godan verb (-su)
Form Positive Negative Dictionary 増ま す 増ま さない Polite 増ま します 増ま しません Past polite 増ま しました 増ま しませんでした Past 増ま した 増ま さなかった Te-form 増ま して 増ま さないで Desire 増ま したい 増ま したくない Potential 増ま せる 増ま せない Passive 増ま される 増ま されない Causative 増ま させる 増ま させない Causative passive 増ま させられる 増ま させられない Volitional 増ま そう Polite volitional 増ま しましょう Imperative 増ま せ 増ま すな Conditional 増ま せば 増ま さなければ Tara conditional 増ま したら 増ま さなかったら
Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 の 重じゅう 要よう 性せい が 増ます す for the importance of something to increase
The importance of environmental issues is increasing.
〈 物もの 〉 の 魅み 力りょく が 増ます す for the appeal of something/someone to increase
As he got older, his charm increased.
〈 事こと 〉 の 可か 能のう 性せい が 増ます す for the possibility/likelihood of something to increase
The chance of an accident increases in the rain.
〈 人ひと 〉 の 負ふ 担たん が 増ます す for someone's burden to increase
As his workload grew, his burden increased.
体たい 重じゅう が 増ます す to gain weight
I gained weight from overeating.
水すい 位い が 増ます す for the water level to rise
The river's water level rose because of the heavy rain.
Expressions にも 増ま して more than; even more than 厳きび しさを 増ま す grow in severity; become increasingly severe いつにも 増ま して more than usual; especially; particularly Transitive / intransitive 増す is used both intransitively, as in 台風で川の水位が増した (the river's water level rose because of the typhoon), and transitively, as in 練習を重ねて自信を増す (one increases one's confidence by practicing repeatedly).
Related words· 6 増える is the common intransitive verb for a quantifiable increase, while 増す often describes a less concrete rise in degree, intensity, or abstract quality.
増やす is the standard transitive verb for increasing countable things, while 増す is also transitive but more formal, typically used with abstract nouns like 重要性 or 魅力 .
高まる emphasizes an intangible quality such as a feeling or awareness rising, whereas 増す covers a broader range of increase including quantity, degree, and intensity.
増す emphasizes an increase in amount or degree, whereas 強まる focuses specifically on strength or intensity increasing.
Show 2 more Show fewer 増す means to increase in amount or degree, often used more broadly (水量が増す ), while 高める specifically means to actively raise the level or quality of something (品質を高める ).
増す and 加わる both describe an increase in intensity or degree, but 増す can also be used transitively while 加わる is always intransitive.
Opposites 減る is the intransitive verb for something decreasing, the direct opposite of the intransitive use of 増す .
減らす is the transitive verb for decreasing something, the direct opposite of the transitive use of 増す .
Word family· 18 dilution; watering down · inflation; padding
extra charge; premium; bonus; surcharge
day by day; with each passing day
increase; augmentation
photo reprint; extra print
Show 10 more Show fewer better; preferable; less bad · more; extra; additional · increase; growth
doubling; twofold increase
price hike; markup
increase stitches; make stitches (knitting)
building addition; extension; annex
increasing daily; day by day · foodstuffs left out for many days
increase more and more; grow increasingly intense
reprinting; additional printing
retightening; additional tightening
extend a building; build an addition
See all 18 in Explore →
Written forms 増ま す Usage 94%
Standard kanji spelling for both intransitive and transitive uses.
ます Usage 6%
益ま す
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 増す is strongly preferred in modern writing.
Etymology The verb 増す (masu) is a native Japanese word. The kanji 増 carries the meaning 'increase' and is used phonetically here. The historical derivation is uncertain.
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