溶ける (とける, tokeru) Japanese meaning: melt | Kotomora

溶とける

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Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

溶ける · ichidan verb

Meanings

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

Intransitive: something becomes liquid or soft from heat. Covers ice, snow, butter, metal, etc.

溶とかすN2sense 1
溶ける is intransitive (something melts on its own), while 溶かす is transitive (someone melts something).
溶とくN2
溶く is the transitive verb (someone dissolves/mixes something), while 溶ける is its intransitive counterpart meaning the substance melts or dissolves on its own.

とろけるN1
溶ける is the neutral, general word for melting or dissolving, while 蕩ける emphasizes a soft, gooey texture or an emotional melting feeling.
溶とけ込こむN2
溶ける simply means something melts or dissolves, while 溶け込む stresses that it becomes fully absorbed into the surrounding medium.
溶よう解かい
溶ける is the everyday intransitive verb for dissolving or melting, while 溶解 is the formal noun/suru-verb used in technical or written contexts.
沸

固かたまるN2sense 1
溶ける describes something turning from solid to liquid or soft, while 固まる describes the opposite change, from liquid to solid.
凍こおるN3
凍る means to freeze into ice, while 溶ける means to melt back into liquid.
こごるN1
溶ける means to melt or dissolve back into liquid, the opposite of こごる, which means to congeal into a jelly-like solid.

ほどけるN1
溶ける (とける) means to melt or dissolve, while 解ける (ほどける) means to come untied or unravel, and the two are easily confused when written without kana.
解とけるN3
溶ける (same pronunciation) means 'to melt or dissolve' a solid into liquid, while 解ける covers puzzles being solved, knots coming loose, or bans/emotions being lifted.

溶とけるUsage54%
Standard kanji for melting, dissolving, and thawing.
解とけるUsage30%
Rare kanji for thawing or loosening; easily confused with 解ける (ほどける, to come untied).
とけるUsage13%
融とけるUsage3%
Used especially for metals, ice, or financial assets melting/liquidating, but 溶ける is more common.

From classical verb 解く (とく, to untie, dissolve) + intransitive auxiliary ゆ → とく → とける. The kanji 溶 is now standard for melting/dissolving.