Common word› JLPT N1 › Freq. Frequency Top 10,000 Conjugation 潜む · godan verb (-mu)
Form Positive Negative Dictionary 潜ひそ む 潜ひそ まない Polite 潜ひそ みます 潜ひそ みません Past polite 潜ひそ みました 潜ひそ みませんでした Past 潜ひそ んだ 潜ひそ まなかった Te-form 潜ひそ んで 潜ひそ まないで Desire 潜ひそ みたい 潜ひそ みたくない Potential 潜ひそ める 潜ひそ めない Passive 潜ひそ まれる 潜ひそ まれない Causative 潜ひそ ませる 潜ひそ ませない Causative passive 潜ひそ ませられる also 潜ひそ まされる 潜ひそ ませられない also 潜ひそ まされない Volitional 潜ひそ もう Polite volitional 潜ひそ みましょう Imperative 潜ひそ め 潜ひそ むな Conditional 潜ひそ めば 潜ひそ まなければ Tara conditional 潜ひそ んだら 潜ひそ まなかったら
Usage patterns 〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 に 潜ひそ む to lurk/hide in a place
The culprit might still be lurking somewhere nearby.
〈 事こと 〉 に 危き 険けん が 潜ひそ む danger lurks in (a situation)
There is unexpected danger lurking in this task.
〈 物もの 〉 に 才さい 能のう が 潜ひそ む talent/potential lies latent in (something)
A unique talent lies latent in his work.
Kanji 潛 conceal, hide, lower (voice) Related words· 7 隠れる is the general verb for hiding or being hidden, while 潜む adds a nuance of lying in wait unseen, often suggesting danger or stealth.
潜伏する is a formal, often technical word for staying hidden over time (e.g. a disease or fugitive), while 潜む is the more everyday, general word for lurking.
潜在する is used for abstract latent qualities or possibilities (potential, risk), whereas 潜む can describe both physical lurking and this same latent sense.
秘める is transitive, meaning to keep something (like a feeling) hidden inside oneself, while 潜む is intransitive and describes something existing unseen on its own.
Show 3 more Show fewer 潜む describes lying hidden in a place without necessarily moving there, while 潜る emphasizes the act of going into hiding or a covered space.
潜む means to lurk or lie hidden within something, whereas 宿る carries a gentler, often poetic nuance of a spirit or quality dwelling there.
潜む describes the state of lying hidden or lurking somewhere, while 忍ぶ (sense of hiding) emphasizes the deliberate act of concealing oneself, often through movement.
Written forms 潜ひそ む Usage 61%
Standard modern kanji spelling.
ひそむ Usage 39%
潛ひそ む
out-dated kanji form
Outdated kanji form; not used in modern writing.
濳ひそ む
out-dated kanji form
Outdated kanji form; not used in modern writing.
Etymology The historical derivation is uncertain. The kanji 潜 carries the meaning of 'submerge' or 'hide', which fits the word's sense.
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