詰める · ichidan verb
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 詰める | 詰めない |
| Polite | 詰めます | 詰めません |
| Past polite | 詰めました | 詰めませんでした |
| Past | 詰めた | 詰めなかった |
| Te-form | 詰めて | 詰めないで |
| Desire | 詰めたい | 詰めたくない |
| Potential | 詰められるalso 詰めれる | 詰められないalso 詰めれない |
| Passive | 詰められる | 詰められない |
| Causative | 詰めさせる | 詰めさせない |
| Causative passive | 詰めさせられる | 詰めさせられない |
| Volitional | 詰めよう | |
| Polite volitional | 詰めましょう | |
| Imperative | 詰めろ | 詰めるな |
| Conditional | 詰めれば | 詰めなければ |
| Tara conditional | 詰めたら | 詰めなかったら |
Broad physical sense: force something into a container or opening until it is full or blocked. Used for packing bags, stuffing food, plugging holes, etc.
スーツケースに服を詰める。
I pack clothes into the suitcase.
穴をガムテープで詰めた。
I plugged the hole with duct tape.
ichidan verb, transitive verb, intransitive verb
shorten; move closer together
Reduce physical distance or time between things; make more compact. Can be used for shortening a schedule, moving people closer, or tightening a gap.
会議の時間を30分詰める。
We shorten the meeting by 30 minutes.
もう少し詰めて座ってください。
Please sit a little closer together.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
reduce spending; conserve
Cut down on expenses or use resources more frugally. Often used with 生活費, 予算, etc.
生活費を詰めて貯金する。
I save money by cutting down on living expenses.
ichidan verb, transitive verb, intransitive verb
focus intently on; strain oneself to do
Usually in the fixed phrase 根を詰める, meaning to concentrate intensely on something, often to the point of exhaustion.
See also: 根を詰める
根を詰めて仕事をすると体を壊すよ。
If you strain yourself working too hard, you'll ruin your health.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
work out details; bring to a conclusion; wind up
Thoroughly finalize or settle something, such as a plan, negotiation, or discussion. Often used in business contexts.
契約の細かい点を詰める。
We work out the details of the contract.
話を詰めてから返事します。
I'll give you an answer after we finalize the discussion.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
be on duty; be stationed
Intransitive use: stay at a post or be assigned to a location for work, such as a guard, receptionist, or salesperson.
今日は一日中受付に詰めている。
I'm stationed at the reception desk all day today.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
Drive someone into a corner, especially in shogi (Japanese chess) where it means to checkmate the opponent's king. Also used figuratively.
王を詰める手を考える。
I think of a move to checkmate the king.
質問で相手を詰める。
I corner my opponent with questions.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
cut off one's finger; catch one's finger
Two distinct meanings: (1) cut off one's own finger as a formal apology (yakuza tradition); (2) catch one's finger in a door, etc. The latter is predominantly Kansai dialect.
See also: 指を詰める
昔のやくざは指を詰めて謝罪した。
Old-time yakuza cut off their fingers to apologize.
ドアに指を詰めてもうた。（関西弁）
I caught my finger in the door. (Kansai dialect)
auxiliary verb, ichidan verb
do non-stop; do continuously; do completely; do thoroughly
Auxiliary verb attached to the continuative form of another verb. Indicates doing something without pause or doing it thoroughly to completion.
auxiliary verb, ichidan verb
force someone into a difficult situation by ...
Auxiliary verb use: by doing the preceding verb, one corners or pressures someone. Often implies persistent or aggressive action.
彼は質問攻めにして相手を問い詰めた。
He bombarded them with questions and cornered them.
I crammed a change of clothes tightly into my backpack.
Please move your seats closer together to make room.
This month will be tough unless I cut down on living expenses.
We need to hammer out the details of the contract.
He is stationed at the reception desk every day.
I pressed him hard with questions, cornering him.
節約する is the general verb for saving money or resources, while 詰める in this sense specifically means cutting expenses down to a tighter margin.
集中する is the standard word for concentrating on something, while 詰める (as in 根を詰める) implies straining oneself intensely, often to exhaustion.
まとめる means to organize or wrap up something into a coherent whole, while 詰める in this sense stresses hashing out fine details to a firm conclusion.
常駐する is a formal term for being permanently stationed somewhere, while 詰める is the more everyday verb for being on duty at a post.
詰める is the general verb for packing or filling something, while 詰め込む specifically emphasizes forcing things in tightly, often to the point of overstuffing.
詰める is the everyday verb for stuffing or packing something into a space, while 充填 is a more formal, technical term used for materials filling gaps, cartridges, or containers.
詰める is a native verb meaning to stuff or pack items into something, while パック as a verb specifically means to seal them in a manufactured pack.
詰める emphasizes stuffing or packing tightly into a container, while 埋める emphasizes filling a space or gap completely.
詰める focuses on packing or stuffing things tightly into a space, while 埋める（うずめる）emphasizes the resulting state of a space being completely covered or filled.
詰める shares the kanji 詰 with 詰る but means to stuff or pack something into a space, an unrelated meaning from the reading つめる.
cram; stuff; jam; pack tightly
sweet eel sauce; thick soy-based glaze
refilling; repackaging; rebottling
retrenchment; curtailment; cutting back
bottling; putting into bottles · bottled; in a bottle
final scene; climax; finale
investigate thoroughly; get to the bottom of; probe deeply · obsess over; brood on; worry excessively about
press a question; cross-examine; grill
packing into a box; boxing up; thing packed in a box
draw near; close in on · press for an answer; hound; confront
station; office; guardroom
reasoning; logic; persuasion by logic
boil down; reduce; concentrate · reach a conclusion; finalize a discussion
cover a surface; spread all over; blanket; lay
climb to the top; reach the summit · be engrossed in; be infatuated with
shorten; cut short; trim · cut down on; reduce; economize
jam-packed; packed like sardines
pressing; urging; putting pressure on
forced seppuku; being made to commit ritual suicide · being forced to resign; taking responsibility by stepping down
lowest-ranking guest at tea ceremony · tea master
top alignment
bottom alignment
right justification; right alignment
night watch; night guard duty
number of characters per line, page, etc.
left justification; left-aligned
reinforcements; reserve troops; rear guard · attacking from the rear; pincer movement from the back